


The Girl at the Party

by renfield31



Category: Singin' in the Rain (1952)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-01-14
Updated: 2012-03-06
Packaged: 2017-10-29 13:19:04
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 18
Words: 37,351
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/320333
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/renfield31/pseuds/renfield31
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Cosmo meets the girl of his dreams.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Her Name

**Author's Note:**

> Just so everyone knows, Elizabeth was lifted from an SITR fanfiction I read on fanfiction.net and I decided to make her the girl that Cosmo meets at the party in the movie. Enjoy!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pottsville Maroons were Pittsburgh's (technically Pennsylvania's) football team in the 20s.

He couldn't get that night at the party out of his head. He remembered the way he had strolled over to her, how he had leaned against the wall, his hand in his pocket. He had sweet-talked her, she had played with his bow-tie. They danced the tango. A shiver ran through his body when he recalled how she had ran her thighs and her long fingernails down his body while they danced.

After they had had a few drinks, she had taken him up to her room at the hotel. He leaned her against the wall and kissed her tenderly and passionately. He remembered how she couldn't get enough of his soft, strawberry lips. She had taken his suit jacket off. She had savored moving her hands over his body through the thin, white fabric of his shirt. He had moved down to her neck and began to slide his hands up her legs when she stopped him. She told him she didn't want to go all the way, and she left him to stare at the door. He hadn't bothered to get her name, figuring that she was probably mad at him for pushing her, but now, a week later, in the cold light of day, when he was sober, he was beginning to regret it. He hoped that she felt the same way, but he doubted she knew his name either.

 

"Cozzer! You in there? Are you even alive?"

Cosmo awoke from his musings. His head jolted towards the door, behind which he knew stood his best friend and roommate, Don Lockwood, banging obnoxiously as usual. Ha had been staring at the wooden surface of his desk, illuminated by the blue desk lamp, thinking about her again. He didn't know why he always thought about her. She should be nothing to him; just a boozy, (almost) one-night stand as usual. Cosmo knew he wasn't his best friend, who was a hopeless romantic, when it came to women. He wasn't really the relationship type anyway. But somehow, the girl at the party just crept into his head whenever he had nothing to do. He tried to keep himself busy as often as possible, but he knew there could be no excuse-making. She was always on his mind.

Cosmo turned his head back to his desk. "Come in, Donald," he said lazily, using Don's full name. He used Don's full name whenever he was annoyed with him.

The door opened and Don rushed in and sat on Cosmo's bed, covered by a scarlet Pottsville Maroons comforter.

"Whatcha doin'?" Don asked cheerfully, a smile on his face.

"Nothing."

"Cosmo, it really irritates me when you say 'nothing' like that."

"Sorry, Dad."

"Cos!"

Cosmo pushed his desk chair back violently. He walked over to his golf bag and pulled out a nine iron. Don knew what was coming and gulped; Cosmo had an extremely violent Irish temper. He gripped the club tightly with both hands. He looked like he was about to whack something (or Don). But the danger passed; Cosmo let the club drop to his right side as he looked out the window. It was a cloudy, dismal day, but Cosmo didn't mind; cloudy days were his favorite.

Don fell onto his stomach on the bed and stared at Cosmo. "You're thinking about her again, aren't you?"

Cosmo said nothing, just stared out the window.

"Cos, you're not being a good friend right now."

"Will you stop scolding me?" Don started as Cosmo turned to face him with an angry look. He looked down at his hand as if he had just realized that he was holding a nine iron and slid it back into the golf bag. He paced the floor rapidly and held up his fist as if he were about to punch something and finally ended up sitting down on the bed next to Don. They looked at each other for a bit before Don looked over at Cosmo's nightstand and saw the phone book opened.

"Why do you have the phone book out?" he asked, pointing at it. "I thought you said you didn't know her name?"

"I've been calling every name since four o'clock this morning."

"Are you stupid? No one is up at four in the morning, and if you don't know her name, you can't call her. Duh!"

"Sliver of hope, I guess."

"Sliver of hope. You and your slivers of hope." Don shook his head and stood up. "Come on, bud. We gotta go to work."

"Yeah, okay."

"Are you all right? You wanna call in sick so you can find your little girlfriend?"

"No, no, I'll go to work."

Half an hour later, Don and Cosmo arrived at the parking lot at Monumental Pictures. They said goodbye to each other at the entrance, Don going off to the sets and Cosmo going to the music department. The walk to the music department was long. Cosmo yawned and decided to pull out the sheet music that he had composed for Don's latest picture, The Dueling Cavalier. He was so focused on the papers that he bumped into someone and fell to the ground. He held onto his papers, but the person he had bumped into had dropped everything that he or she was holding.

"Oh...sorry about that..." Cosmo apologized over and over.

"No, it's my fault, I should have been paying more attention," a female voice said as she bended over across from him.

They both looked at each other at the same time. Their eyes widened when they realized who they were.

"You..." the girl breathed. "You're the guy I made out with at the party!"

"And, uh...you're the girl I made out with at the party!" They both laughed and stood up.

"I'm sorry for not introducing myself before I left," the girl said politely with a smile. "I'm Elizabeth!" she stuck out her hand.

"Cosmo!" he said cheerfully, reaching out and shaking her hand. They kept shaking; she was mesmerized by his boyish smile, while he stared at her beautiful brown eyes and full lips. Finally, they snapped out of it and realized they were still shaking hands and let go, giggling.

"Uh..." Elizabeth began, breaking the awkward silence. "I'm...a friend of Kathy's, that's why I was at the party. You know Kathy, right? Selden?"

"Oh yeah, sure. She's my best friend's girl. I don't think she likes me though."

"Why not? Kathy likes everybody."

"I'm a goy."

"What?"

"Catholic."

"Oh...well, she is Jewish...her boyfriend's Catholic, too."

"Yeah, I know. He's my best friend."

"What's his name? He's pretty cute."

"Don. Don Lockwood."

"Oh. Cool."

"Yeah."

"And I'm Catholic too, so you don't have to worry." She smiled. Cosmo stared in awe at her perfect white teeth.

"Uh..." he cleared his throat. "So do you work at Monumental?"

"Yes, I'm an actress. I've seen you around before. You're in the music department, aren't you?"

"Yeah, I'm head of the orchestra. And I play piano on set."

"That sounds like fun."

"Oh, it's a lot of fun."

A pause, then Cosmo started again. "If you're an actress, how come I've never heard of you?"

"Oh, I just started. Actually, the week of the party was my first week here. They've been putting me in minor roles. Like as an extra and stuff like that."

"Oh, neat." Cosmo wished he hadn't said 'neat.' It was his least favorite word in the English language.

They stared at each other for a while longer. Thoughts of that night of drunken lust danced in their heads.

"Uh...hey, can I take you out to dinner tonight? I mean, if you're not doing anything or seeing anybody..." Cosmo offered.

Elizabeth laughed. "No, I'm not seeing anyone. Dinner tonight would be great!"

"Great! Pick you up around seven?"

"Eight," she whispered flirtatiously.

Cosmo was stunned, but remained smooth. "Eight. Perfect. See you then!"

Elizabeth smiled and turned around. "Uh...weren't you headed...?" Cosmo began.

Elizabeth turned around again. "Oh! Right. Thanks!"

Cosmo threw his hands in his pockets, smiled and leaned against the brick wall and watched her walk away, filled with relief that he had finally found the girl of his dreams.

 

Later that afternoon, Cosmo was taking a nap in his room. He usually got to go home early because there wasn't much involved in his job. Don usually came home around six or seven, and it was creeping up on six thirty.

Finally, around six fifty, Cosmo heard Don's heavy footsteps in the living room. He heard Don knocking on the door.

"Open," he called drowsily.

Don entered, wearing his heavy gray jacket. "What's up, buddy?" he asked. "No calling today? You give up, finally?"

"I saw her today."

"You're joking. You're fucking batshit insane."

"I am not joking and I am not insane. I'm telling you I saw her today."

Don put his hands on his hips.

"Yeah? Where?"

"On my way to the music department."

"Yeah? What's her name? Tell me about her."

Cosmo got on his knees and put his hands over his heart in a dramatic pose. "Her name is Elizabeth and she's Catholic, and I have a date with her in one hour!" he said dreamily, looking up at the ceiling.

"Smooth," Don said sarcastically. "Is she even hot to you now that you're not drunk?"

Cosmo sighed. "The most beautiful girl in the world."

Don laughed. "You're like twelve."

"I don't care. I love her."

Don shook his head and left, laughing.

 

Meanwhile, Elizabeth and Kathy sat in Kathy's room, filing their nails.

"So how was work today?" Kathy asked.

"Well, I met one of your friends."

"Which one?"

"Cosmo."

"Oh."

"He's pretty cute!"

"Yeah, kinda."

"What do you mean, 'kinda'? To tell you the truth, I think he's really sexy!"

"He's loud, and annoying, and a goy. I'm only friends with him because he's Don's best friend."

"Both of them are really sexy."

"Yeah..."

The girls stared out the window dreamily.

"I have a date with him in an hour," Elizabeth announced.

"Good luck with that. All that boy talks about is music, horror movies and Don."

"Kathy!" Elizabeth slapped her playfully on the shoulder.

"I'm just joking. I'm sure it'll go fine. I think Cosmo is hot myself."

The girls laughed and picked out a dress for Elizabeth to wear on her date.


	2. Let's Spend the Night Together

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cosmo and Elizabeth fall deeper in love.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For all you sports fans: in the 20s, way before the Penguins, Pittsburgh's hockey team was the Pirates.

Cosmo paced the living room of the boys' apartment frantically. His hands were freezing as usual. Don stood on the threshold to their kitchen, watching him and eating out of a tub of ice cream.

"Cos, calm down!" Don said through a mouthful of chocolate chip cookie dough.

"I can't calm down! What if she doesn't like my hair? How I'm dressed? What if she's still mad at me?"

"Uh, hello? She's not gonna be mad at you. According to you, she was pretty friendly with you. And you look great. Stop acting like a little bitch. Here."

Don walked over to Cosmo and straightened his suit collar. Cosmo looked quite snappy in a navy blue suit, red-and-black striped tie and black slacks and shoes. His red hair was damp with gel and his silver watch gleamed on his wrist. Don slapped him on the back once he was done grooming him.

"Break a leg, kiddo." He smiled.

 

Cosmo drove to Elizabeth's apartment and honked the horn. After a few minutes, she emerged from the front door. Cosmo swallowed to keep his jaw from dropping. She was gorgeous. She wore a pink dress whose straps went around her neck. The dress made her breasts more pronounced and to his embarrassment, Cosmo felt himself getting hard. She got in the car gracefully.

"Hi!" she said cheerfully, smiling.

"Hi," Cosmo said back in a trance, barely moving his mouth. The couple ogled each other's appearances. Elizabeth's lips were ruby red and the way her tongue moved in and out made Cosmo so hard he wanted to explode. Cosmo was equally attractive to her. His cologne intoxicated her; it was strong and subtle at the same time. His eyes were a clear ocean blue. His lips were pale, but she knew what they felt like from when she had kissed him at the party: soft and almost non-existent.

Cosmo snapped out of his trance. "Uh, should we get going?"

When she heard him speak, Elizabeth drowned. It was so heavenly. He had the most beautiful voice in the world.

"Elizabeth?" he called to her through the fog.

Elizabeth rose to the surface. "Yes?"

"I asked if we should get going."

"Oh...yes. Please!"

Once they arrived at the restaurant, Cosmo pulled out Elizabeth's chair for her to sit down and ordered a glass of red wine. He tried to suppress his nerves and be casual and smooth.

"So," he said, smiling and crossing his arms and leaning on the table. "Tell me about yourself!"

At that moment, the wine came. Cosmo poured each of them a glass.

"You first," she flirted, taking a sip of wine and raising her eyebrows at him. Cosmo's insides stirred like they had that night at the party when she had first tempted him from across the room. She was giving him another challenge, and once again, he freely accepted it. He'd loved a good challenge all his life. She leaned on the table in the same style as him and they gazed into each other's eyes, illuminated by the flickering candle.

"Cosmo, tell me what you look for in a woman," she commanded quietly.

Cosmo leaned on his fist. "Well, she has to be nice, and...we have to have a lot in common, and..." his speech slowed down and became more husky as he eyed her beautiful figure. "She has to...have a sense of humor..."

"What does she have to look like, baby?"

Cosmo's eyebrows shot upwards. She was clearly flirting with him, he realized that now. He had to counter.

"She has to be sexy."

"Blonde? Brunette?"

"Anything. As long as she wants me, I want her."

They gazed hungrily into each other's eyes. His blue eyes seemed to flash the way they had at the party. She could tell he was aroused. Her perfume was making him sleepy and stupid and drunker than the wine. His eyes traveled to her bare shoulders and he imagined himself kissing and licking down her luscious arms. He decided to sate some of that lust and took one of her hands from across the table and kissed each of the long, tender fingers slowly. He rested her hand against his cheek.

"I love you," he said dreamily, gazing at her lovingly.

"You mean that?" she smiled, relieved.

"Yes, darling. I've loved you ever since that night. You don't know how often I've thought about you. I didn't even know your name. You...you made such an impression on me that night, the way we kissed...it was so...beautiful. I've wondered if you've ever thought about me, too."

"I have."

"You have?"

"I have. I couldn't get you out of my head. Your smile, your...everything. I mean, I know it was just a party, but I can't help falling in love with you. You were so romantic when we danced and even when we kissed. You were so gentle, so kind, so loving. No man has ever treated me that way, Cosmo."

Cosmo smiled and kissed her hand and brushed his lips against her soft skin. They ate their food when it came and sipped their wine long after the bill had been paid, talking about work at Monumental. Cosmo talked about Don's latest picture and all the piano pieces that he had composed for it. He talked about he and Don had known each other and been best friends since they were children. Elizabeth talked about her family and her mother and how she was raised. He learned that she was Italian, that they both came from Catholic households, they both loved music and they were both big fans of horror movies, among other things.

After they had finished their wine, Cosmo leaned back in his chair and gazed at his new lover with a small smile on his face. Elizabeth still leaned on the table, gazing at this incredibly perfect man dreamily.

"Would you like to leave, darling?" Cosmo asked politely.

"Yes," she answered quietly. "I would like that very much."

He walked over to her and pushed her chair out from the table and they left, hand in hand. They got in the car and Cosmo drummed on the steering wheel, thinking about what to do next. He was feeling peckish; he didn't want things to end here. He didn't want to just drive her home and that would be the end of it. He wanted so much more, and unlike the night of the party, she seemed willing to give in to him. He turned to her and said,

"Say, how about we go back to my place? Don's out with Kathy, and I think we should spend some time alone. Like, without any noise. I just love talking to you, Elizabeth," he added dreamily.

"I'd like that very much!" she replied excitedly.

 

They arrived back at Cosmo and Don's apartment. Cosmo unlocked the door and let her inside. He closed the door and stared at her bare back, hungry and kicking himself at the same time. Elizabeth occupied herself looking at the boys' kitchen while he made things neat and tidy in the living room.

"Do you guys ever do dishes?" Elizabeth asked, eyeing the boys' full sink with disgust.

"We're men," Cosmo said simply. Elizabeth laughed. Suddenly, Cosmo had an idea. He flipped the lamp on in the living room and called,

"Uh...hey, babe? Um...I'm gonna go take off this suit. It's not me."

Elizabeth laughed. "Take your time, darling." Cosmo melted and went to go change.

Elizabeth wandered into the living room. She spied several pictures on the mantelpiece and went to go look at them. One was a framed picture of Don and Kathy on a sunny summer day, Don in a black polo and Kathy in a lavender dress. Another picture was of Don and Cosmo at a graduation of some sort. Elizabeth figured it was their high school graduation, judging by the boys' appearance and the simplicity of their blue caps and gowns. She laughed when she noticed how Don was smiling genially and Cosmo was striking a pose, holding his cap down as if it were a fedora. Another picture showed Don giving Cosmo a piggy-back ride and the two of them making silly faces. The rest of the pictures were of the boys competing in various sports. One picture showed Don in his high school football uniform, kneeling on one knee with his helmet at his side. Another picture showed Cosmo in a hockey uniform clutching his hockey stick. Elizabeth was shocked. Although she admired him, she had never pegged Cosmo as much of an athlete. He was so skinny that she was sure that people mistook him to be frail and sickly.

Elizabeth heard footsteps behind her and spun around to find Cosmo standing a few feet away from her wearing a lavender button-down shirt.

"I-I was just looking at some of your pictures," she stammered.

"Please do." he smiled politely.

"You played hockey?" she asked, looking at the picture of Cosmo in his hockey gear before looking back at him.

"Sure did!" he moved over to the couch. "Defensive defenseman at Pitt all four years!" He plopped down on the couch and pat the spot next to him. She rolled her eyes and smiled and sat down. He put his arm around her and they looked at each other lovingly.

"Why didn't you join the NHL?"

Cosmo sighed and stared at the space in front of him. His blue eyes became cloudy and his smile faded, as if he was remembering a terrible memory. "My senior year, Coach called out the scouts, you know. And the scout for the Pittsburgh Pirates came out. Naturally, you know, 'cause we were all from Pittsburgh and Pitt students and all that. He was looking for a defensive defenseman and I guess he liked what he saw in me, so he drafted me. I was excited at first, but..."

"But what?"

"At the first press conference...I-I just wasn't ready for the press. I mean, there were lights flashing all around me. And then when I got up there...see, I had this whole speech planned, thanking everybody and God for the opportunity to play pro hockey, you know? But they just kept shooting question after question at me. How does it feel to be in the league? How do you plan to change the Pirates for the better? They wanted me to save the world, Elizabeth. I just wasn't ready for it. That night, I gave Coach Cleghorn my resignation."

"You shouldn't let press keep you from what you want to do in life, Cosmo," Elizabeth said quietly.

"I know," Cosmo sighed. "I'm a coward."

"I don't think you're a coward." Elizabeth smiled at him lovingly. He smiled back. She wanted him--and expected him--to kiss her right then and there. She could tell he wanted to, but instead he reached behind him and turned on the radio. George Gershwin's "Lullaby" was playing.

"Would you like to dance?" Cosmo asked politely.

Elizabeth smiled, silently granting him permission to take both her hands in his and rest them on his back. She leaned into his chest, smelling his newly applied cologne. She seemed to melt into his body as they danced. His back was surprisingly muscular to her as she moved her hands slowly over it. They closed their eyes as the living room faded away and it was just the two of them, dancing and holding each other. Cosmo bent his head down and kissed her hair softly.

"You're beautiful," he mumbled into her hair.

Elizabeth smiled and buried her face, savoring his scent and what he had just said. No man she had ever been with had ever said that to her. She knew it for sure now, and she knew that he knew it too: they were in love and no one would ever be able to take that away from them. She brought her hands out from his back and stroked his stomach down to his belt buckle. He moved his hands up to her shoulders and stroked her arms, caressing her soft skin. They looked into one another's glazed eyes. My God, she thought. His eyes are so beautiful.

Cosmo took both of Elizabeth's hands in his and led her back to the couch. He sat down as she sat on top of him, facing him. Keeping his eyes on her, he reached behind him and turned off the radio. He only looked at her for just a second longer before he pulled her face to his and kissed her passionately. Their tongues explored each other's mouths as Cosmo moved his hands up and down her back and Elizabeth caressed his chest and stomach through his shirt. They giggled as she spread her legs on either side of his and sat on his lap, kissing his soft, fleshy lips that she loved so much and moving down to his neck to kiss it passionately. Her most sensitive area could feel his hardness. Kissing and licking his neck, she decided she was ready. She wanted all of him right now. The only obstacle blocking her was if he wanted her or not. She was sure he did, but she decided to ask him. Pressing her nose against his, she said,

"We could make love right now, Cosmo. You know I really want to. I love you. And I want you."

Cosmo's breath caught in his throat. A woman had never been so inviting towards him before, except for Lina, but he resisted her advances. This woman was beautiful, smart, funny, gorgeous, sexy...everything he wanted in a woman. Why shouldn't he make love to her?

Grabbing her arms, his blue eyes gleaming, he said, "Let's finish what we started."

She smiled as a furious, passion-driven look appeared on his face. He led her into his bedroom, where he pushed her against the wall and kissed her passionately. He kissed all over her face before moving down to her neck. Elizabeth groaned and sighed, reveling in his slow, passionate movements. He trailed his fingers up her arms and shoulders, making her shiver. He reached behind her neck and found the clasps that held her dress to her body. Kissing the upper-right portion of her chest, Cosmo whispered into it,

"I want to make love to you."

He undid the clasps and stepped back as her dress fell from her body. He looked over what he saw and was mesmerized. Elizabeth had the most perfect body he had ever seen. She was so tender, so fragile. Everything about her was beautiful: her legs were slender, her breasts were soft and round under her strapless bra and the way her silk panties clung to her lower regions gave him the biggest erection he had ever had in his life.

Elizabeth beckoned him with her index finger to come closer to her. He smiled as she undid the white buttons on his lavender shirt. She dropped it on the floor and her jaw dropped in awe of his body.

Oh, my God, she thought. He is so amazing. Looking at him with clothes on, no one could tell how muscular he was. His arms were not as muscular as Don's, but still were very pronounced. She ran her hands over his smooth, sexy abs and shivered, partly because she was touching such a handsome, sexy man and partly because his skin was ice-cold.

"Cosmo!" she giggled. "You're so cold!"

Cosmo slammed her against the wall, lifted her legs onto his hips and kissed her breasts hungrily. He unsnapped her bra and sucked her breasts until she cried out with sheer pleasure. His mouth let go of her breasts and trailed slowly down her stomach. Removing his shoes and socks, he kissed her navel until he reached her panty line. He lightly bit the silk, making her moan, extending it outward and taking hold of it with his hand. He moved his other hand onto the silk and pulled the panties down slowly, immediately teasing her area with his tongue. Looking at her with hungry blue eyes, he took off both of her silky black stockings with both hands and tossed them across the room. She loved the way his arm muscles flexed as he tossed them. He put his mouth on her arms and kissed softly upward.

"Bed, baby?" he mumbled into her skin when he got to her shoulder.

For a response, Elizabeth pushed Cosmo gently away from her and eyed him with seductive brown eyes. She pressed her forehead against his, reveling in the sound of their united breathing. They both looked down as she slowly undid his belt and unbuttoned his pants and slid them down to reveal his legs, which were surprisingly skinny. Staring at such an incredibly sexy man wearing only his boxer shorts made her laugh.

"What's so funny?" Cosmo asked, chuckling himself.

"You!"

"How am I funny, darling?"

She responded by pulling him forcefully towards her so that his face was only an inch from hers.

"You're amazingly sexy." Her voice was sexy and seductive, making him harder than he ever had been before. She kissed him passionately. Their tongues swirled around each other's mouths as Cosmo caressed her breasts and Elizabeth took off his boxer shorts. Now that both of them were naked, he led her to the bed, still kissing her. She flipped him on top of her. He trailed his long fingers down her sides as he thrust into her slowly, keeping his eyes on her and brushing her lips with his and his tongue. As they both got closer to climax, he kissed her neck madly, moving his hand over her stomach, wanting to make her climax as hard as possible. He eyed her breasts that looked so delicious to him as they bobbed up and down. She ran her fingers through his flaming red hair while he sucked on her breasts. He kissed down her stomach passionately before he felt her start to climax and thrust in her and kissed her deeply and intensely. With one final groan from both of them, they climaxed and he rolled onto his back with her face only an inch from his. They laughed.

"You know," she began. "People might not think it by looking at you, but you're a goo--amazing lover."

"That's what I get for having my best friend be Don Lockwood."

They laughed again and she kissed him.

"I love you," Cosmo said, his face suddenly becoming serious.

"I feel the same way about you." Elizabeth pressed her nose to his. She kissed him deeply again, her tongue moving in and out of his mouth. She moved her hands down his stomach, tracing his muscles before moving her tongue slowly along the muscle lines.

"Baby, I kinda wanna sleep..." Cosmo sighed.

She giggled and kissed his erection. He groaned. She snuggled up close to him and they drifted off to sleep.

"I love you," he murmured in her ear, and Elizabeth lay her head on his chest, savoring that fact and both of them convinced that they had found their soulmate.


	3. Work

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cosmo is a very bad, bad boy.

The alarm went off at seven AM. Cosmo stirred wearily and turned it off. He rolled to his side, and wrapped his arms around Elizabeth's soft, naked body, She rolled on her side to face him and he stroked her cheek.

"Good morning," he whispered lovingly.

"Good morning," she whispered back.

"I love you."

"I love you too."

He rolled on top of her and kissed her with his soft lips. Elizabeth's hands roamed down her lover's strong, muscular back, urging him to drive her mad like he had so many times the night before. Cosmo seemed to hear her desires as if she had shouted them from a rooftop and kissed her harder and ran his hands down her body. The passion and fire returned from their hours upon hours of lovemaking the night before as Cosmo went inside her. His kisses became deeper and more passionate as he moved down to her neck and caressed her breasts. Elizabeth didn't want him to stop. She wanted him inside her and next to her in bed for the rest of her life.

They made love yet again for another hour, until eight AM, until they succumbed to their climaxes. Cosmo rolled to Elizabeth's side, sweating. Had they not had to go to work, he would have wrapped his arms around her and held her close to him, but instead, he got out of bed and made his way to his closet. He pulled out his navy blue bathrobe and put it on. Elizabeth groaned and got out of bed and made her way to him.

"Mmmm, boy, does that thing make you look sexy!" her lips curled as she tugged at the collar of the robe and kissed him gently on the lips.

"Want some breakfast, babe?" he murmured against her lips as they made out.

"Mmmm, in the kitchen, baby?" she wrapped her arms around him. He tried to remain in control; her breasts pressed against his robe was making him as hard as if they were pressed against his naked chest.

"That's usually where the food is in most American households, hun."

Elizabeth giggled as Cosmo led her to the kitchen and pushed her against the sink, their lips glued together. She lifted her leg onto his hip and their kisses became hungrier and hungrier.

"Cosmo, when's Don coming back?" she asked in between kisses.

"He never comes back when he's out with Kathy."

He guided her to the small card table and leaned her onto it. He slowly trailed his lips down to her stomach and kissed her navel softly, making her groan. He teased her lower belly with his lips and his tongue and caressed her thighs.

"Cosmo..." Elizabeth groaned his name, making him harder. "About that breakfast..."

Cosmo broke away from his work and smiled at her, his blue eyes dancing. "You want some Wheaties?"

"Cereal?"

Cosmo got up off of her and the table and reached into one of the cupboards and pulled out a box of Wheaties. "Sure. That's all we eat around here is cereal."

He poured both of them a bowl of cereal and Elizabeth sat on his lap and they both ate together.

"This is love, honey," Cosmo said, looking in her eyes. "You're waking up with me, and you're eating a bowl of cereal with me."

Elizabeth laughed heartily. She loved it when he made her laugh. She pressed her nose to his. She loved spending time with him. He made her feel so at ease with the world, so happy, like nothing was wrong, like the world was perfect. That peace was reflected in his lovemaking. She felt safe in his arms; when he was making love to her, nothing could touch her, not even her worst enemy. She didn't want to leave him, but she knew she'd be late to work if she didn't.

"I have to go home," she whispered. "I have to get ready for work."

Cosmo sighed, not wanting to let her go. "You need a ride, sweetheart?"

"No, I'll walk. I love you."

And she gave him a deep kiss and went into his room to gather up her clothes from the previous night. She waved at him as she left. He waved back and smiled the boyish half-smile that made her melt.

 

Cosmo was on his lunch break. When that happened, he usually wandered over to the sets to see what Don was up to. At this particular moment, Don was waiting behind the cameras while a scene was being shot that didn't involve him. Cosmo caught up to him and the two friends greeted each other.

"So...last night..." Don hinted with a mischievous smile. "Details, brother, details!"

Cosmo laughed. "She was perfect, what can I say?"

"My little buddy's getting laid. I'm so proud! So how long did you two fuck? I mean, you didn't just fuck once and call it a night, right?"

"Donnie, I made a bet with you that I could keep her up till the break of dawn, and boy, was she up!"

"Man, was she like, really horny or something?"

"Hey, man, I don't know. All I know is that she wanted the CosMaster to give it to her alllll night long!" The two boys laughed uproariously and high-fived as Cosmo drank a beer.

"Hey, man, I just remembered, I gotta go make some copies of the sheet music," Cosmo announced. "I'll see you around."

"Hey, that's cool, brother. Hey!" Don snapped his fingers and pointed at Cosmo as Cosmo walked away. "We partying tonight?"

"I don't know, I have to see what Elizabeth wants to do."

"Aw, widdle Cozzy is falling in love!" Don pinched Cosmo's cheek.

"No, I'm serious! I...I do love her and I want to spend time with her."

"All right. Let me know what's up."

"'K, sounds good."

Cosmo left the set and went to the copy room. He put the sheet music in the copy machine, punched in the number twenty, hit "GO" and waited. He drummed his knuckles on the table that the copy machine rested on.

"Hey, Cosmo!"

Cosmo turned around to see Elizabeth standing behind him. "Oh...hey! what are you doing here?" he replied, smiling and ogling her figure. She was wearing a sexy brown blouse which she had tied, exposing her stomach. The curves of her breasts were clearly defined. Her navy blue skirt showed off the curvature of her legs. Cosmo felt like his erection was about to take over his body.

"Oh, I...just needed to make some copies of my script," she giggled.

"You'll have to wait," he said huskily, flirting with her. "It's taking it forever to make twenty copies."

"That's not a problem," she flirted back. "I'm on my lunch break."

"So am I. But you know, I'm kinda not hungry for...food anymore."

"Yeah, neither am I."

"What are you thinking right now, Cosmo?"

"I'm thinking...I really like that table over there."

His lips smacked into hers as he lifted her up and placed her on the cold white surface, climbing on after her as their tongues swirled around each others' mouths and she pawed at his scarlet sweater-vest.

"Take everything off..." Cosmo mumbled as his tongue seemed to cry out from pleasure.

"Yeah..." Elizabeth whispered, wrapping her hands around his neck and pulling him down on top of her. Cosmo ran his hands down her sides while she clawed at his belt.

"Honey..." she whispered. "R.F..."

"He's on set, darling. Don't worry about him."

She kissed him hungrily as she ran her hands through his flaming red hair as he moved onto licking and kissing her neck. He broke away from her and glared at her provocative outfit hungrily. He caressed her exposed navel as he stared at her breasts, wondering if he should take her blouse off.

"You know you want to, darling," Elizabeth seduced him. "It's so easy...just untie it..."

He chuckled silently. "As much as I want to, I can't risk it." Instead, he brushed the curves of her breasts with his tongue and kissed them lightly, making her groan.

"Shhhh..." he warned her against her breast, and went back to kissing her neck. She had just unbuttoned his gray slacks and was about to reach down when a knock came at the door.

"Shores! Are you in there? Hurry up with those copies, your lunch break is over! Yours too, Brown!"

Cosmo and Elizabeth looked at each other, panicking, and hopped off the table. Cosmo buttoned up his slacks and opened the door to find R.F. Simpson standing on the threshold. He smiled as he edged past his boss. Elizabeth made her copies and walked out past R.F., her chin held high.


	4. Don't Make Promises You Can't Keep

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cosmo and Elizabeth make a promise to love each other.

As the days and months drifted by, Cosmo and Elizabeth fell deeper and deeper in love. They spent every night together, whether it was making love or sleeping. It didn't matter. They just wanted to feel each other's bodies against their skins. It was hard to find time together at work, but they would steal time in Elizabeth's tiny, cramped dressing room during their lunch breaks. They were surprised to find that most of the time they weren't making love, just laying together on her daybed, holding each other. Elizabeth loved the feel of Cosmo's sweaters against her slight body. She loved to smell his cologne radiating off on her and his nimble yet muscular body pressing her close to him. She loved looking at his serene, boyish, sleeping face and looking down and seeing his long, ragged fingers stroking her arm, inducing her to sleep. His slow breathing and his nose pressed against her neck calmed her and she drifted off into dreams about their life together.

In the mornings when they woke up and in the evenings he would cook for her. She had always found it sexy when a man cooked for her, but Cosmo's food was as heavenly as his lovemaking. She loved seeing him cook in the mornings. When she came in the kitchen at Cosmo's and Don's apartment, he would look up at her, his red hair mussed and a goofy grin on his face and holding up a spatula. She especially loved it when he would cook for her in a pair of khakis and no shirt. She loved looking at his body. Most people wouldn't be able to tell how muscular he was with clothes on and often made fun of him for being so skinny, and she was glad that she was the only one who was allowed access to this private side of him. On mornings like that, she seemed to lose control and fell into his arms, the two of them kissing hungrily and falling onto the floor, card table, or his bed, removing their clothes and covering each other's bodies with hot, sensual kisses. She laughed heartily when his cheeks got that telltale childish blush.

"It's the Irish in me," he always said with a chuckle when Elizabeth complimented his cooking.

They preferred spending quiet evenings at home, but when they did go out, Cosmo always made sure to make Elizabeth feel special. He took her to the finest restaurants in town and ordered the most expensive wine. After a romantic night at dinner, they would spend a romantic night making love. Elizabeth found it so romantic and felt her experience heighten when Cosmo touched and kissed every part of her body. She loved the feel of his rough fingers and the palms of his hands on her body, slowly caressing her. Those rough fingers and hands, coupled with his soft strawberry lips caressing and kissing her, gave Elizabeth a sort of high that she had never experienced before, and she loved it. Both of them were in heaven. Every moment spent together was precious, and every moment apart was a waste.

 

One night, Cosmo stayed late at the music department working on another piano composition for The Dueling Cavalier. He looked at the clock and saw that it was eleven o'clock. He rubbed his eyes, which were baggy with fatigue and devoid of their usual bright blue. It had been a long day; Cosmo had been called to five different sets to hear the music for the movies in production. He had hated all of them and all he wanted to do was work on his compositions. He hadn't seen Don or Elizabeth all day, and he had told Don not to wait up for him for dinner.

Cosmo was jolted awake by the phone ringing. He picked it up slowly, his movements hindered by his fatigue.

"Hey, buddy." It was Don.

"Oh, hi." Cosmo's voice was scratchy with tiredness.

"You sound beat."

Cosmo somehow managed a laugh. "I am."

Don laughed. "What are you doing, bro?"

"Working on my piano stuff. Haven't got a chance to work on them all day."

"Oh. Well, there's some pizza waiting for you when you get home."

"What kind?"

"Your favorite: mushroom."

Cosmo smiled weakly. "All right. Thanks."

"No problem. I'm going to bed. See you tomorrow morning."

"Yeah."

Cosmo hung up and went back to work. About a half hour later, the phone rang again.

"Hey, baby."

All weariness vanished from Cosmo's body. He leaned back in his chair. "Hey. What are you doing up so late?"

"Well, actually...I'm still here in my dressing room."

Cosmo's ears perked up, but he kept it cool. "Oh? And why is that?"

"Well, I was just studying my lines late and now I'm done and...well..."

"Well what?"

"I haven't seen you all day." Elizabeth's voice grew soft and pleading. Cosmo leaned back in his chair and ground his lower lip with his tongue.

"I know, baby, I know..." he groaned. "It's been a long day and I haven't gotten any work done."

"You have work to do over here, too. Why don't you come over and get it done? We haven't touched each other in so long..." Cosmo felt his jaw drop and immediately went back to biting his lip. He knew he shouldn't; he was knee-deep in work and was far from finished. However, Elizabeth was right; they hadn't made love for a few days and he was craving her touch. He moved the phone away from his ear and stared at the small stack of work on his desk. He went over the pros and cons of Elizabeth's proposal. The pros were that it was a very small stack, she was too much to resist and that he hadn't touched her in a sexual manner in days. The cons were that although it was a small stack, it was still a stack and it had to be done, it was late and he just wanted to crash onto his own bed.

"Well..." Cosmo heard a small voice from the earpiece and quickly brought it back up to his ear. "I'll be waiting for you if you decide to come." Her voice sounded distant, as if she were fading away from him in a dream. She hung up and Cosmo slowly put the phone back on its holder and, after staring at his desk for a few seconds, proceeded to fly through the musical scores like a madman, making corrections where needed (but missing most of them). He finished the stack and slammed his hands his desk. He stood up, went over to the small mirror on the wall by the door and smoothed his hair. He straightened his tie and ran over to the set area. He slowed down to a walk in front of Elizabeth's dressing room, trying his best not to pant after running all the way over from the music department. He knocked the coded knock that Elizabeth had taught him and immediately the door flew open.

Elizabeth stood before Cosmo clothed only in a white bathrobe. She bid him come in and he stepped inside. He stuck his hands in his pockets and looked at her with one eyebrow raised in that sexy way that made her melt. He walked towards her and she backed up until she found herself up against the wall. He placed a hand on the wall above her head and his eyes traveled down her body hungrily. There was no need for words; both of them knew what they wanted, and they wanted it bad.

Cosmo's eyes traveled back up Elizabeth's body to her full lips and leaned in to kiss her tenderly. His soft tongue probed hers and the kissing became hungrier as he lifted his hands and rested them on her cheeks. He led her to the small couch and she climbed on top of him, the kisses reaching a new level of intensity. His tongue swirled around her mouth, searching her. He pulled her lower lip with his mouth, causing her to groan loudly. They made out like teenagers as he glided his hands up her legs and beneath her robe to caress her wetness. He smiled when he heard her sighs of pleasure against his lips.

"Oh, God..." Cosmo whispered as he kissed her. "Baby, you are a very addicting drug," he simpered against her lips.

Elizabeth giggled deliciously as Cosmo took off her bathrobe, revealing her gorgeous curves. They continued to make out as she trailed her fingers down his body, making him shiver. She was pushing him down onto the couch when he stopped her and shook his head.

"Bed," he said simply. He stood up and, smiling a half-smile, his blue eyes glinting, led her over to the small day bed, where she lay down, allowing Cosmo to gaze upon her perfect, naked body. He was deep in thought as he looked upon her, amazed that he had such a profound effect on such a lovely woman. He bent down and planted a tender, lingering kiss on her lips. She lifted her arm lazily and put it around his neck, pulling him down on top of her. He kissed down her chest and breasts and ran his fingers down her body. Elizabeth bit her lip, closed her eyes and ran her hands through his crimson hair. She had never felt this much passion and love and she wanted it to never stop. Cosmo sat up and quickly lifted his teal sweater over his head, revealing a white shirt and black and gray-striped tie and bent down to kiss her hungrily. Her eyes still closed, Elizabeth unbuttoned his shirt and loosened as much of his tie as she could before lifting it off of him. She ran her hands down his chiseled stomach, felt how hard he was and unzipped his gray slacks. She quickly pulled down his boxer shorts and he slid under the covers and entered her. Their lovemaking that night was explosive and romantic at the same time. They kissed sexually as Cosmo thrust in and out of her, pulling her lower lip with his mouth as he thrust. Elizabeth loved it when he pulled her lip when he kissed her; it was sexy, romantic and erotic at the same time.

The lovemaking seemed endless. Elizabeth cried with delight and pleasure. Finally, she felt she could take no more. She had to be in control and pinned him down to the daybed. He grabbed onto her hips as she teased his mouth with her tongue. Cosmo loved how Elizabeth's smooth, graceful, artful style in bed so contrasted his passion-driven style. Elizabeth kissed his neck and kissed and bit down his chest. When she reached his stomach muscles, she kissed each muscle line softly and slowly, making him groan. She ran her tongue along the lines carefully and kissed slowly down to his erection. Looking down and seeing her full lips on him made Cosmo groan and sigh continuously. Elizabeth moved back up to look him in the eyes and kissed him passionately. They rolled around the daybed until both of them succumbed to their climaxes. They lay together on the daybed, sated in their lust, and drifted off into sleep.

Cosmo woke up first, as always, and pulled on his gray slacks. The sunlight streamed through the little window and his gaze traveled to the body that lay beside him. He smiled lovingly as he looked at his angel's sleeping face in the morning light. Every morning after they had ever had was special, but nothing had ever compared to this one. He yawned, rubbed his eyes and went into the small kitchen to prepare some breakfast. He cracked an egg from the carton he had found and dropped it in the skillet. He heard a satisfied hum from behind him and turned around to see Elizabeth looking at him with a mixture of drowsiness and admiration. He walked over to the daybed and clambered onto it, resting on his knuckles and his knees. He gave her a tender peck on the lips.

"Did I wake you up?" Cosmo half-smiled.

"I think you always do."

"I like to be loud."

Elizabeth laughed. "I can tell."

She moved over a bit, allowing him to lie back down next to her on the small daybed. "You need to stop spoiling me," she said, stroking his cheek.

"Get used to it. It's going to be happening for a long time."

"How long?"

"Like, forever long."

"You mean that, Cosmo?"

"Not only do I mean it, I promise it too." He sat up and took both of her hands in his and said, "Elizabeth Shores, I promise you that I will be yours no matter what happens, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, for better or for worse, as long as we both shall live. I swear to you on my father's grave that I will love you to the best of my ability. I will go anywhere and do anything for you, and if God forbid I can't make you happy, then may God grant me the grace and goodwill to step aside."

Elizabeth felt tears coming into her eyes. He was so eloquent and so sincere and so moving. She felt guilty because she knew that whatever she had to say wouldn't amount to what he had just said.

"Cosmo Brown," she began, tears creeping down her face. "I will love you and I will follow you and I will walk with you to the ends of the earth. No man has ever..." she sniffled. "No man has ever said that to me before or been so sincere, and I will do my best to be a good girlfriend and maybe even a good wife and mother, should we get that far. I want to be the woman you've always dreamed of. I want to fulfill your every need and be there for you whenever you need me, I swear to God..." She couldn't go on anymore as tears streamed down her face. Cosmo pulled her into a tight embrace.

"I love you," he whispered into her shoulder, and kissed her ear.


	5. Merry Christmas, Cosmo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I threw this chapter in for fun. ;)

Monumental Pictures was holding its annual Christmas party. The gang stood in an empty soundstage drinking and carousing merrily. They were dressed in red and green and Santa hats. Don walked around, sipping a bourbon and chatting with everyone.

"Hey, Don!"

Don turned around and found Zelda behind him, smiling.

"Oh, hey, Zelda!"

"Where's Kathy?"

"She didn't want to be around a bunch of goys, so she went to her friend's Hanukkah party."

Zelda's smile faded and a quizzical look came upon her face. "Did you tell her that Steven is Jewish?"

"She makes the case that he's only one person." Don rolled his eyes. "Hey, wanna go get a drink?"

As Don and Zelda went to get a drink, the lights lowered and the band and singer broke into a slow, sexy rendition of "Baby, It's Cold Outside." Cosmo, who had been drinking heavily but was not yet drunk, set his drink down and leaned against the drink table, eyeing the lady across the room talking to some friends, just as he had at the party when he had first seen her. He took off his Santa hat and licked his lips when he saw her dress: deep red that showed off her curves. He made his way over to her and slinked his arms around her waist, licking her ears, covered by Christmas tree earrings. Taking her hands in his, he pulled her away from her friends and onto the dance floor, where everyone was dancing. Cosmo and Elizabeth swayed gracefully to the music, running their hands all over each other and making out. The song ended and everyone clapped. Elizabeth leaned against the wall. She was almost swooning at how good her lover looked. He wore a red shirt and green necktie, tucked into a black belt, black pants, black socks and black shoes. His red hair was gelled and spiked slightly.

They made out lightly until Cosmo pulled out a set of keys from his pocket and dangled them in front of Elizabeth.

"Those aren't your car keys!" she giggled.

"You're right," Cosmo said, keeping his voice silky. "They're the keys to R.F.'s office." He winked at her and laughed as her eyes widened.

Cosmo took her arm and led her to R.F.'s office. He remained cool, his glazed blue eyes on her as he unlocked the door and stepped inside. He made his way over to R.F.'s desk chair and relaxed in it, staring at Elizabeth. Her arms were folded and a stern, maternal look was on her face.

"You DO realized you could get fired for this?" she warned.

"Close the door," he said quietly, ignoring her.

She sighed and rolled her eyes and stepped into the room, closing the door behind her. With one swift motion, Cosmo brushed all of the paper work off of R.F.'s desk, causing Elizabeth to stop short of the desk.

"Now you're DEFINITELY going to get fired for this," she laughed.

He grinned wickedly as she climbed onto the desk and they kissed seductively, their tongues exploring each other. She climbed onto his lap and they kissed hungrily. Cosmo moved his hands slowly up her legs to caress her moist panties. Elizabeth moaned and ran her arms over his shirt and around his neck, her tongue swirling inside his mouth.

"You must want me fired, then," he muttered.

"I think you're already fired," she said, pressing a hand to his hardness and looking at him with cold brown eyes.

"My place?" he resumed kissing her.

"No. Mine. I have a fireplace."

Cosmo broke away from her and a look came upon his face that told Elizabeth that he was getting ideas. They left R.F.'s office arm in arm and Cosmo left the keys where he had found them. They came back to the soundstage and Cosmo winked at Don, who was across the room. He winked back and gave an "a-ok" symbol. Cosmo gave one back.

Cosmo and Elizabeth grabbed their coats and left the building and went out to Cosmo's car. Elizabeth leaned against the car and took out a cigarette. Cosmo lit it for her almost mechanically. Standing there in her dark brown fur overcoat, Cosmo found it impossible that anyone could not love her. Her black stockings ran over her tantalizing legs and her black heels to match. Her lipstick, albeit smudged from their activities in R.F.'s office, still was beautiful. Cosmo leaned in and kissed her passionately before the two of them got in the car and drove back to Elizabeth's apartment.

They were no sooner through the doorway and they were kissing passionately. Cosmo grabbed her bottom and pulled her to him, making her gasp. They helped each other of their coats and left a trail of clothing to the floor in front of Elizabeth's fireplace. Cosmo snapped his fingers and immediately a roaring fire jumped into the fireplace and a bottle of wine appeared, along with two wine glasses in their hands filled with wine. They put their wine on the coffee table and Cosmo snapped his fingers again. The radio came on, playing soft smooth jazz Christmas music.

Cosmo bent down and kissed his girlfriend passionately. He ran his hand down her body, over her breasts, making her shiver, and down to her mound, where he ran his fingers over the bristles of pubic hair. Elizabeth tensed and then relaxed under his provocative touch.

"How did you do that?" she gasped for air.

"What?" Cosmo panted.

"That finger-snapping thing."

Cosmo laughed. "Magic."

Elizabeth laughed too and groaned with ecstasy as he pulled her lower lip. She sighed as he ran his tongue down her body, pausing to tease her breasts and bite her nipples. He sucked her breasts, loving the sound of her moans and the feel of her nails digging into his back as he thrust into her.

"I need to taste you," he whispered.

Elizabeth grabbed his hair and cried out with pleasure as he nibbled her moist thighs. When he used his tongue to lightly tease and kiss her area, she felt a jolt of electricity shoot through her body. Cosmo, sensing that she was near climax, trailed his mouth up her body, planting light kisses on her chest. Elizabeth shuddered with all of the emotions she was feeling and climaxed, pressing into Cosmo's body. She pushed herself on top and kissed him with a sexy kiss. She ran her mouth over his chest and stomach muscles, smiling when he sighed with pleasure. She groaned when she reached his erection. She smiled as she ran her mouth down his length. Cosmo groaned. She ran her lips and tongue back up his body, stopping to tease his nipples with her tongue, and kissed him fervently. She trailed her fingers down to his erection and grabbed it, stimulating it. He broke away and closed his eyes and groaned with sheer ecstasy and lust. Still kissing him, she ran her fingers up and down the length slowly, each stroke driving him closer and closer to climax. She bit his nipples and he cried out as his orgasm surrounded him. He flipped her over again for one last thrust. Elizabeth wanted them to orgasm again and again. Cosmo seemed to know every spot on her body that would make her crazy, just as she seemed to know his. With final thrust, they climaxed hard, crying out with carnal pleasure.

They lay on the brown carpet, sipping wine and watching the fire die down.

"Merry Christmas, baby," Cosmo said silkily.

"Merry Christmas, Cosmo."

"I hope you like your present."

"I love it." They both smiled with satisfaction and kissed deeply and passionately. Cosmo re-built the fire and they spent the rest of the night in each others' arms, warm because of the other and because of the burning flames, a symbol of their passionate love for one another.


	6. Skating on Thin Ice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cosmo sees something that disturbs him.

Elizabeth smoothed out her sweater and went to answer the knock on her dressing room door. They smiled at each other for a bit and Cosmo leaned in for a hungry kiss. At first, Elizabeth was hesitant; she was stunned that his usually soft lips were chapped and rough from the cold winter weather, but then she realized that she found the roughness even sexier than the softness. She placed her hands lightly on the back of his hairline and pulled him close to her and kissed him even hungrier than he had kissed her.

"What's in the box?" she asked, moving her eyes to the brown shoebox that Cosmo held with both hands.

"What box? Oh! This box!" Cosmo held the box out in front of him. "Open it!"

"Is it my Christmas present?"

"No, just open it."

Elizabeth opened the box slowly and lifted out its contents. "Ice skates?" she raised one eyebrow.

"You know how to skate, right?"

 

The night was unusually cold for California as the Monumental gang skated on the pond on one of the winter sets that they had frozen over. Cosmo and Elizabeth skated around the pond, hand in hand and looking dreamily at each other. Cosmo whisked her in front of him and held her tightly. He was leaning in for a romantic kiss when a loud yell erupted.

"LET'S PLAY HOCKEY, FAGGOT!"

Cosmo fell to the ice as Don tackled him. He scrambled up and jumped on Don's back as Roscoe threw the boys their hockey sticks, Cosmo using his lucky stick, the stick he had used in high school, silver with a black grip and stick end, and they organized a game of hockey. Kathy and Elizabeth watched from the sidelines as the game grew more intense. The boys kept shooting the puck at Don, who was the goalie for Cosmo's team.

"Ow! Guys! Stop hitting me!"

"Don, you're the goalie! It's supposed to hit you!"

Don was flabbergasted. "Does that sound stupid to anyone else? I quit!" He threw down his gloves and stick and ran out of the soundstage.

"Do you give up now, Cos?" Roscoe called. "You just lost your goalie."

"There's no i in team, Dexter. Jerry, you take Don's place."

Kathy and Elizabeth watched as the game continued.

"Men and their sports." Kathy shook her head.

"Yeah," Elizabeth agreed and toyed with her ring finger. Kathy noticed she was doing this and asked,

"What is that?" Kathy indicated the beautiful diamond ring Elizabeth was playing with. Elizabeth smiled bashfully.

"Oh...it's just a ring."

Kathy's eyes widened with excitement. She placed a hand over her mouth and gasped,

"Did Cosmo...?"

Elizabeth giggled. "No, it's not an engagement ring. It's just a promise ring. But between you and me, I think he's thinking about it."

"Cosmo is a sweet guy. You should count yourself lucky!"

"Don is a sweet guy too."

Kathy sighed. "He can be a bit of a baby sometimes."

The girls laughed and watched the game for a few minutes more.

"Okay, well I have to go," Kathy prepared to leave. "It's almost sundown, and my parents are in town for Hanukkah."

"Happy Hanukkah!"

"Thanks! Merry Christmas!"

"Thanks!"

The game ended and Cosmo was talking with some of the guys. All of a sudden, Jerry directed Cosmo's attention to where Elizabeth was standing and saw Roscoe kissing and touching her.

Cosmo felt his eyes recede into the back of his head and stormed away.


	7. White Rabbit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cosmo meets a homeless man who sets him straight.

The night air on Christmas Eve was cold as Cosmo walked the streets of Hollywood. Rush-hour traffic was roaring through his head. It had been two hours since he had left the ice-skating party at Monumental and he had been wandering the streets for two hours.

How did this happen? How could she do this to him? Cosmo wanted to murder Roscoe; the very thought of his hairy lips on his woman made him cringe. All the love they made, the moments they had shared...they had all been lies. Cosmo wondered how long this had been going on. This isn't right, he thought. I should be with my girl right now. It's Christmas Eve, for crying out loud.

Cosmo continued walking, deep in thought, when he heard the church bells of Blessed Sacrament pealing out onto the brightly lit street. He looked up at the bell tower to see what time it was. Midnight.

"Merry Christmas," he sighed. "Guess I was on the naughty list this year, huh, Mr. C.?"

He stood there looking at the sky as if he expected Santa's sleigh to fly over the church. He decided that, depression or no depression, girlfriend or no girlfriend, he had a moral obligation to attend the Mass of the Nativity and went inside the church.

The church was empty save for a few older people and a few young men. Cosmo took a seat in one of the pews towards the back of the church. He crossed himself and bowed his head and prayed, just as he had been taught in Sunday school. Cosmo knew it was foolish to set expectations. It was foolish to pray that at noon Elizabeth would be back in his arms. He was raised from his prayer by a heavenly chorus of children, starting softly at first and getting louder.

"Hark, the herald angels sing,  
Glory to the newborn King!  
Peace on earth and mercy mild;  
God and sinners reconciled.  
Joyful all ye nations rise!  
Join the triumph of the skies!  
With angelic hosts proclaim,  
Christ is born in Bethlehem!  
Hark, the herald angels sing,  
Glory to the newborn King!"

The children started into the second verse, and Cosmo, despite his depression, loneliness, and lack of Christmas cheer, found himself singing along quietly.

"Christ, by highest heav'n adored,  
Christ the everlasting Lord!  
Late in time, behold him come,  
Offspring of a virgin's womb.  
Veiled in flesh the Godhead see!  
Hail th' incarnate Deity!  
Pleased as man with man to dwell,  
Jesus, our Emmanuel!  
Hark, the herald angels sing,  
Glory to the newborn King!"

The song ended and the children began to sing "O Come All Ye Faithful" as the congregation stood up and Mass began. Cosmo found himself in a much better mood. He loved Christmas carols. The children finished the first verse and Cosmo sang with them, louder and more cheerful this time, on the second.

"Sing, choirs of angels!  
Sing in exultation!  
Sing, all ye citizens of heaven above.  
Glory to God!   
Glory in the highest!  
O come, let us adore him,  
O come, let us adore him,  
O come, let us adore him,  
Christ, the Lord!"

Cosmo's mood brightened as Mass continued and the children sang more Christmas carols. Eventually, Mass ended and he stepped outside and began walking the street again, not wanting to go home, having just been filled with faith that God and Santa Claus would deliver him a miracle and a Christmas present in the form of Elizabeth.

"Nice singing, young man," called a mechanical monotone voice.

Cosmo spun around to find an old man with a medium-length gray beard sitting on a doorstep, holding a jazz cigarette. He was dressed in rags, his eyes were baggy, and he wore a gray fedora. He smiled and waved at Cosmo.

"Merry Christmas!"

"Merry Christmas," Cosmo returned the greeting warily. After all these years, he still kept his mother's many warnings about strangers close to heart.

The man moved over and despite his mother's admonitions ringing in his head, Cosmo went to sit next to him. He was lonely, and his mother had always told him that Christmas was meant to be spent around people and never by yourself.

"That's a lotta hop," Cosmo mused, his eyes moving to the bag of little green plants on the step behind the man.

"Want a hit?" the man asked, offering Cosmo the jazz cigarette.

"Oh, I...I don't do drugs. Thanks, though!" he added hastily with a smile.

"You don't know what you're missing!" the man took another hit of marijuana.

Cosmo looked at the man skeptically. "I think you're a little blitzed."

The man looked at Cosmo with taken aback bloodshot eyes. Cosmo realized the blunder he had made. "Sorry," he apologized tersely. "I guess I'm a bit ticked."

"No trouble at all, boy. I like it when people tell me I'm zozzled."

"That's a little...odd."

"Well, how would you feel if you came down from a hit of this stuff?"

Cosmo stared straight ahead. "My best friend and I tried it once back in high school." He looked back at the old man. "And to be honest, coming down was hell."

"Hmph," the old man grunted and took another hit. "Must have been terrible hemp."

"Never smoked it since."

The old man threw his head back and let out a loud laugh. "Trust your dealer, not your doctor, kid!"

"I don't have a dealer, and I think I should be the judge of who I trust, don't you think?" Cosmo glared at the old man.

The man shook his head and asked, "So why are you out here in the cold on Christmas morning, huh? Shouldn't you be in bed like a good little tyke and waiting for Santa Claus to bring your present, like a good little boy?"

"I'm twenty-six, thank you very much," Cosmo muttered. "Who pissed in your coffee?"

The man took another hit. "Every Christmas I've ever had I've been alone, so I like to rain on other people's parades."

"Family?"

"Dead."

Cosmo raised an eyebrow. "They've been dead since you were born?"

"No."

"Well, what happened?"

"I kept running away from home."

"Why?"

"I didn't like my parents. Boy, I've been smoking hop since I was twelve."

"Usually they're just trying to protect you because they love you."

"And how the hell do YOU know that?" the old man raised his voice. "Are you one of them?"

"'One of them'? What do you mean 'one of them'? A parent? No. Came close, but no."

"What do you mean, 'came close'?"

"Whole reason I'm here."

"Well?"

"My girlfriend and I are..." Cosmo took a deep breath. "Well, we're...unofficially separated." He smiled weakly.

"What happened?"

"I saw her kissing another man."

"Oh..." the man's eyes widened. "That's a big no-no."

"Yeah. Yeah it is." Cosmo stared straight ahead again.

"Anyone you know?"

"Roscoe Dexter."

The man's brown eye grew wider. "The director?"

"Yep."

"You look like you need a hit, pal."

"No, I'm fine, really. Thanks."

Cosmo took out a plain cigarette and lit it.

"Oh okay," the man grew skeptical. "So you'll take a hit of a fag but you won't take a hit of hemp. Oh, okay. I see how it is."

"What the hell is your name?"

"Tom."

"Cosmo." The two men shook hands and took a hit of their respective substances.

"So this Dexter guy...what's he got against you?"

"Nothing, at least I thought it was nothing."

"Better look into that."

"No kidding."

Tom looked at Cosmo thoughtfully. Even though he was high, he felt himself thinking straight.

"You know what, kid?" he placed a coarse hand on Cosmo's shoulder, making Cosmo's head turn to him. "I look at you, and I see a kid version of myself. You know what? You don't need a hit. You need to get your girl back."

Cosmo looked straight ahead. "She doesn't deserve it."

"Yes she does. You know what you're doing? You're letting the better man win. That Dexter guy is NOT the better man. What's it been, a half an hour? And already you seem like a good kid to me. Go find her and stop hanging around me. I don't need anyone."

Cosmo stood up. Tom was right. Elizabeth was probably confused.

"You're...you're welcome to spend Christmas with Don and I. We're hosting this year. His parents are in town."

"Kid, GO! I told you, I don't need anybody."

"Are...are you sure?"

"Yes."

"But Christmas isn't about being alone! It's a time for friends and...and family and being surrounded by people who care about you!"

"No one cares about me."

"I care about you! See? Thirty minutes and I already care about you. Thirty minutes! That's all it takes. Please come!"

Tom shook his head, took another hit and collapsed onto the step above him. Cosmo reached down and checked for a pulse. There was none. He had overdosed.

"Merry Christmas, Tom," Cosmo murmured. He crossed himself and prayed the prayer that his often superstitious mother had taught him to pray if ever he should see someone die.

"Now I lay me down to sleep,  
I pray Thee, Lord, my soul to keep.  
If I should die before I wake,  
I pray Thee, Lord, my soul to take.  
If I should live to future days,  
I pray Thee, Lord, to guide my ways. Amen."

Cosmo crossed himself to end the prayer, walked back to Monumental, got in his car and drove back to his and Don's apartment.

"Don!" he called as he went through the front door. No answer. Must be at Kathy's, he thought. He took off his jacket and hung it on the coat rack as usual and unbuttoned his shirt and threw it on the floor of his room. He was about to take his watch off when he felt another presence in the room. He turned the lamp on to find Elizabeth, still in her winter sweater, under the covers of his bed, sobbing. He sighed under his breath and took his wifebeater off and threw it on the floor.

"Move over," he mumbled. She complied and he climbed onto the bed next to her. He turned her to face him and wiped the tears from her eyes. Her arms lifted mechanically as he took off her sweater and pulled her to him, kissing her voraciously. They made love violently, tearing their clothes off and Elizabeth apologizing profusely between moans and sighs.

They lay together after their climaxes, Cosmo stroking Elizabeth's arm and Elizabeth clinging to Cosmo's body, her tears now gone from her face. She sighed a trembling sigh and buried her face in his chest.

"I know you saw it," she mumbled. Cosmo looked down at her. She took a deep breath and looked up at him. She told him her story as he stroked her cheek. "When I first was hired, they pretty much did with me and Roscoe the same thing they did with Lina and Don."

"Arrangement?"

"Arrangement. Publicity. Whatever you want to call it. I told Roscoe I was seeing you tonight at the party and he wouldn't buy it. He's convinced we're still together."

"Did you ever love him?"

Elizabeth shook her head. "I've only ever loved you since the night I first met you."

"Elizabeth," Cosmo began. "There will only be you and me in this bed, or any bed, from now on. You have to promise me that. I'm not going to live like that. I can't live like that, and neither can you. Promise me that right now."

Elizabeth nodded, tears beginning to fall from her eyes again. "But Roscoe--"

"Elizabeth, I will protect you. I am here for you. You're safe. As long as you're with me, he can't hurt you. And if he tries to hurt you, he'll have to get through my slapshot first."

Elizabeth smiled a half-grin. My boyfriend, she thought. Always a hockey player at heart.

"Do you trust me enough to protect you and love you?"

Elizabeth nodded. "Yes." Tears fell from her eyes as they spooned together in bed on Christmas Day.


	8. Know Your Enemy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cosmo discovers a shocking secret about Elizabeth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For the sports fans again: in the 20s, before the Phillies, Philadelphia's baseball team was the Athletics (yes, that club later became the Oakland Athletics).

Elizabeth led Cosmo by the hand up to his and Don's apartment. They were giggling, the alcohol from their night out with friends having taken slight control of their behavior. Before Cosmo could open the door, Elizabeth pulled him in for a deep, passionate kiss. She wrapped her arms around his neck as he knocked on the door.

"It's open!" Don's voiced called from within.

"Shit!" Cosmo hissed. Elizabeth laughed and buried her head into his chest. Cosmo couldn't help smiling and giggling with her. Elizabeth pulled him back to her lips as he opened the door.

Once inside, they kissed their way passionately past Don and Kathy, who were standing at the kitchen table rolling their eyes at each other. Cosmo opened the door to his room, slammed it shut with his foot and the two lovers fell on his bed. Now that they were alone, their giggling gave way to sighs as their movements turned from silly and frivolous to erotic and sexy. Cosmo quickly unbuttoned Elizabeth's blouse and planted slow, hot kisses down her chest. Elizabeth grabbed Cosmo's red-and-black-striped tie and pulled him up to her so that his lips were inches from hers. He smiled as she took off his black sport jacket and loosened his tie.

"Though I should leave it on," she crooned quietly. "I couldn't keep my eyes off of you all night."

"Yeah, I know, but sex is more fun naked, honey. You should know that by now," he mock scolded her. Elizabeth laughed and they both smiled as she pulled her lips to his and ran her fingers down his back. She loved how the material his shirts were made of allowed her to feel every muscle of his body through them. After a few minutes of caressing, she decided she couldn't wait any longer and unbuttoned his shirt and pulled it off of him. At the same time, Cosmo pulled off her blouse, crushing her lacy white bra against his chest.

"God, I love it when you wear lace, baby..." he groaned, raising her body off of the bed to meet his and unzipping her navy blue skirt.

"I love it when you wear anything..." Elizabeth breathed, and crushed her lips against his. Cosmo took off her panties in a flash. She undid his belt and his black slacks at the same speed and took her time pulling down his boxers. Cosmo kissed her breasts and sighed as he unsnapped her bra and threw it aside.

"Cosmo..." Elizabeth moaned as Cosmo kissed her neck passionately.

"Yeah...moan my name, baby..." his tongue moved in slow, lazy circles around her nipples...

"Cosmo..." Elizabeth moaned, her head swimming, "Don and Kathy..."

"Baby, we're being more quiet than usual, don't worry about it." Cosmo moved down and licked inside her. Elizabeth was so tempted to cry out with pleasure, but she resisted and instead let out a moan and grabbed Cosmo's hair as he thrust inside her.

After their climax, they lay together in Cosmo's bed, talking and giggling.

"Hey, guess what?" Elizabeth rested her arm and her head on Cosmo's chest.

"What?"

"I just got a new bathing suit and I'm gonna wear it at the Monumental beach party!"

Cosmo groaned when she planted one of her sexy kisses on his lips. "I think this is gonna be the best summer of my life."

Elizabeth giggled deliciously and kissed his stomach muscles. Cosmo felt like having a little fun and reached up to the headboard where his hat collection hung. He pulled down his fishing hat that he had stolen when he had taught Don how to "Make 'Em Laugh" and put it on. Elizabeth stopped kissing and looked up at him.

"I don't like that," she whispered.

"Why not?"

"It makes you look like a gigolo naked."

They laughed. Elizabeth tried to grope for the hat as Cosmo held her arm, trying to stop her. She finally managed to get it off and throw it back on the headboard. She looked at the collection and finally decided on a blue Philadelphia Athletics cap with a white A on the front. Cosmo couldn't stop laughing as she put it on him.

"You look cute in hats," she complimented him, her smile turning into a thoughtful gaze.

Cosmo responded by turning the hat around backwards on his head. Elizabeth let out a loud laugh. He smiled as he kissed her.

"I thought you and Don were from Pittsburgh?" she asked when he broke the kiss.

"One time we stole beer and joyrided to Philadelphia to go see a Pirates game and...well, we were pretty gassed by the seventh inning stretch, so we bought A's hats."

Elizabeth let out another laugh and the kissing continued.

"Hey, Cos!" Don called.

"What?"

"Come out here for a second. Oh, and Kathy wants you to put clothes on!"

Cosmo rolled his eyes at Elizabeth and put his slacks and shirt back on.

"I'll be right back," he whispered against her lips. The aroma and feel of her lips was too much for him to bear and he made out with her some more, Elizabeth tugging at his shirt and moving her hands around his chest.

"Cos!"

"Coming!"

Cosmo held up a finger to Elizabeth and made his way out to the kitchen. Don and Kathy stood at the card table. Don was clutching a piece of paper.

"What's up?" Cosmo asked, smiling.

Don and Kathy looked at each other and sighed. "Better sit down for this one," Don said.

Cosmo's smile faded as the three of them sat down.

"Now, Cosmo," Kathy said. "Don and I think it's great that you found love and...we wanted to talk to you before things got any more serious."

"Cozzer," Don hesitated. "You may not have found love with the right person."

"What do you mean?"

"Take a look at this."

Don unfolded the piece of paper and handed it to Cosmo, who read it.

"This is Elizabeth's contract," he concluded, still looking it over.

"Mhm," Don nodded. "Look who it's with."

Cosmo's eyes moved up to the letterhead. "Warner," he mouthed. He placed the letter down on the table, staring straight ahead with dull blue eyes. All of his face's usual color had disappeared. She lied to me, he thought. She's a spy.

Cosmo leapt out of his chair and stormed back into his room. "Now, Cos! Don't make any rash decisions!" Don called, standing up.

"Oh Donald, what's he going to do?" Kathy cried, grabbing onto Don's shoulder.

"Well, he's either gonna beat her first or force the truth out of her first, but either way, he's gonna beat her." Don stared ahead with pensive brown eyes.

"Oh no..." Kathy put a hand over her mouth.

Cosmo banged open the door to his room and threw the letter onto Elizabeth's lap. Elizabeth looked up at her lover's face in fear. She had never seen this look on his face before. His blue eyes were a twisted, evil shade of blue that she couldn't put a name to and a look of sheer malice rested upon his face. When he opened his mouth to speak, it was in a low, slow, malicious tone, a tone she had never heard him use before.

"You can either tell me why you lied to me now or when I have my hands around your throat. It's your call."

Elizabeth felt her face assume a serious expression, something she had never used before with Cosmo. She got out of bed and stood in front of him. It took every ounce of strength that Cosmo had to keep his eyes firmly set on hers and his arousal nonexistent.

"I wanted to tell you. I really did."

"But you didn't. What have you been doing at Monumental all this time?"

"I...I told you. I work there. I'm an actress."

The amount of rage in Cosmo's eyes and on his face was beyond anything that Elizabeth had ever seen before from anyone she had ever met. He stormed up to her, his teeth bared, and slapped her. It was the hardest slap she had ever received and her cheek stung like hell.

"All right, FINE!" she took a deep breath. "I was at work--"

"At Warner," Cosmo mumbled, grimacing.

Elizabeth rolled her eyes. "Yes, at Warner. One day, Jack Warner himself called me into his office. He said that Monumental was copying The Jazz Singer by coming out with a musical, The Dancing Cavalier--"

"Which is complete bullshit," Cosmo muttered, staring out the window.

"Well, now I know that that's true--"

"Because you spied on us, didn't you? You're Warner's little stooge!" A maniacal smile came upon Cosmo's face.

"No! Yes," she admitted when Cosmo raised his hand again, the palm still red from the previous slap.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Cosmo's voice suddenly turned from a tone of range to a tone of sorrow.

"Because I didn't think it would matter to you where I worked. I thought you would love me regardless of where I worked."

"You didn't think it would matter to me," Cosmo repeated quietly with blue eyes that bored into her. "Did you know that my job is the most important thing in my life besides you?"

"Yes, but--"

"Yes, but WHAT?" Cosmo yelled.

"I thought you would love me--"

"Regardless of where you worked. Gee, I thought you worked at Monumental. Elizabeth, I don't know if you've noticed this, but all Hollywood is is a damn competition. It's not about the movies. It's not about the stars. The entire thing is a fucking competition."

"Oh, Cosmo, I don't like it when you swear!"

"Yeah, well, I don't like it when you lie to me. I don't like being lied to, Elizabeth."

They stared at each other for a few minutes longer until Cosmo pointed to the door. "There is my door," he said quietly, his voice trembling as if he were about to cry any minute, staring at the ground, too disgusted to look at her. "Please leave my room. Please leave this apartment. Please leave this building. Please leave my life."

"You don't mean that," Elizabeth said in a serious tone.

"I do."

"We're done?"

"Yes, we are done. I never want to see you again, Elizabeth. Now please leave."

Elizabeth opened her mouth as if she were about to say something, but thought better of it and left his room, leaving Cosmo to stare at the floor. Once she reached the kitchen, she broke down sobbing, causing Kathy to run to her and embrace her. Kathy looked up as she was hugging Elizabeth and saw Cosmo standing in the threshold that led to the sitting room. His glare was still on his face. Kathy shot him an angry scowl and went back to comforting Elizabeth. She led her to the door and said quietly,

"Everything will be okay. Trust me. Don and I will take care of him."

Elizabeth smiled a half-smile. "Thanks, Kathy."

The door closed and Don and Kathy sat down at the table. Don reached for Kathy's hand across the table and Kathy began to sob as the sound of a cracking mirror erupted from the bathroom.


	9. Girls on the Beach

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kathy makes Cosmo apologize.

Life was passing Cosmo by in a blur. He came home drunk every night, slept whenever he wasn't at work and waded in a swamp of constant rage, taking out his Irish temper on everyone he met, even Don and Kathy. He shut himself in his room and spoke to no one. The phone rang almost daily, but he made no move to answer; he already knew who it was, and he had no desire to speak to her.

After a week and a half of not showing up to work and getting plastered every day and night instead, Cosmo realized that the drinking wasn't filling the hole that Elizabeth had left inside him. He began to frequent more of the parties that the Monumental staff attended. He would show up unannounced, but that didn't matter; everyone knew and respected him, and felt that he had done the right thing in shutting Elizabeth, a traitor in Monumental's eyes now, out of his life. At these parties, he found that many of his female co-workers were more than willing to go to bed with him. Even at work during the day, women would constantly hit on him or brush against him. Apparently, word had gotten around Monumental that he was a free man now, and he came home drunk with a new woman every night in a desperate attempt to sleep Elizabeth out of his system.

Sleeping with a new woman every night became boring after a while, and Cosmo gradually began to return Lina's advances. Now that he hated Elizabeth, he found it pathetic that he hadn't realized how much of a knockout Lina was, with beautiful blonde hair, high, firm breasts and legs to die for. In bed, she begged him to do whatever he wanted to her, and Cosmo was more than happy to please her. Actually, he didn't care how she wanted it; he was only in it for his own gratification. They both felt nothing for each other. Their sex was mind-blowing. They would even sneak time at work in Lina's dressing room during lunch. It was Cosmo that often initiated these lunchtime rendezvous, needing to replace the memory of his romantic lunch hours in the past that he had spent with Elizabeth.

Aside from the hollow emptiness that he felt after a night (or lunch hour) of cold, hard, drunk sex, Cosmo would say that things were going well. Hell, he was having the time of his life. He was reminded how glorious the single life was. On Elizabeth's end, however, things were not going so well. She cried every time she woke up and didn't see Cosmo next to her. She called the boys' apartment every day looking for him, but she either got Don or an operator telling her there was no answer. She knew he was there, he just didn't want to talk to her. She had been fired from both her jobs and now had nothing to do but sit alone in her apartment and cry.

 

One Tuesday afternoon in June, Don wasn't called in to work and Cosmo was, so Don busied himself cleaning up the apartment. He was doing dishes when a knock came at the door. He sighed, put the dish on the card table and went to go answer it. It was Elizabeth. She wasn't crying, Don was relieved to see, but she looked downright miserable.

"Oh, hey," he said softly. "Please...come on in."

"I'm not intruding?"

"No no no, I was just cleaning."

"Surprised Kathy's not over here giving you time on your day off." Elizabeth laughed and smiled. It was the first laugh and smile she had given in weeks.

Don laughed too. "Yeah, well, she's gotta work, or else she would be."

They both sat down at the table. "So what's up? No work today?" Don asked, clasping his hands together in front of him and smiling.

Elizabeth took a deep breath. "No, I was fired."

"Both?" Don mouthed, his eyebrows raised. Elizabeth nodded.

"Wow...harsh...you'd think that Warner would be happy..."

"You're not mad at me, Don?"

"You gotta learn to get over things, that's what I always say!" He smiled again. His smile was so contagious that Elizabeth smiled a bit too.

"I wish Cosmo was as easygoing as you," she mused, her smile fading as she looked away.

"Ah, forget about him." Don got up and resumed cleaning the dishes at the sink. "He's always been stubborn. Absolutely refuses to listen to anyone but himself. He's always gonna be that way, no matter how many times I talk to him."

"How are you two best friends?"

Don shrugged. "Opposites attract! Plus, I practically grew up with the dude."

Elizabeth chuckled. "He hasn't answered any of my calls. He doesn't want to talk to me anymore."

Don rushed over to the table and scooted in close to Elizabeth. "Hey! Listen! Don't tell him I told you this, but the Monumental beach party's on Saturday. He'll have to talk to you then!"

"Will I even be welcome there after all this?"

"Trust me, Kathy has a way with people." Don rolled his eyes. "You'll get in after she screams at R.F. to let you in."

 

As much as Elizabeth wanted to talk to Cosmo, she was dreading seeing him at the beach party. Saturday couldn't couldn't come fast enough, and she had been biting her nails all week. When the day finally came, she got dressed in her bathing suit halfheartedly. What would he say to her? Would he even notice her? She had heard that he had been making quite a show at Monumental, whatever that meant. She just hoped that he wouldn't rub it in.

Kathy finally picked her up after what seemed like an eternity of waiting.

"Nervous?" she asked.

"A little."

Kathy eyed her skeptically.

"Okay, fine. A lot. It's just that...I don't know what he's gonna do or say!"

"Well, hopefully this will make you feel better. Cosmo always does or says whatever is on his mind."

"Wow, Kathy! That makes me feel a whole lot better!"

"Well, at least now you know what to expect!"

Elizabeth rolled her eyes and looked out the window. Neither of the girls spoke for the rest of the ride.

Eventually they reached the beach. Elizabeth got out of the car and gulped. He's already here, she thought. And sure enough, there he was, sitting on the sand in red swim trunks, drinking a beer.

"He's probably already drunk. Let's go." Elizabeth turned around and headed for the car.

"No, come on, Elizabeth! Drunk or not drunk, you have to face him! Remember, you're wearing your new suit!" Kathy winked slyly.

Elizabeth's confidence shot up and she winked back. They made their way over to where the gang was hanging out. They laid out their towels, Elizabeth laying hers next to Cosmo. She looked down at him for the first time in five weeks. Damn, he has a nice beach body, she thought. He was tan and his arm and stomach muscles were more pronounced. He wore sunglasses, which made him look even sexier to her. He was laughing and talking to Don and the other men and completely ignoring her. She grew frustrated, but when Kathy tapped her on the shoulder and gestured as to what her next move should be, her confidence returned.

Cosmo was distracted from his conversation with Don by a yellow summer dress falling onto his lap. He slowly turned his head upward and he felt his jaw drop open at what he laid his eyes upon.

Elizabeth was stunning. She wore a two-piece yellow bathing suit that hugged every curve of her delicious body. Her flat stomach glistened in the sun. Cosmo had to look away when she started applying sunscreen to her neck and chest, but it was no use; he was already hard. He was grateful that Don collapsed next to him at that moment, in black swim trunks, to check out Kathy in a white two-piece suit.

"You should be the one applying that sunscreen, man," Don muttered in Cosmo's ear ominously. He got up and went over to Kathy and started kissing her arm softly and seductively.

While Don and Kathy made out, Cosmo couldn't take his eyes off of Elizabeth's figure. He had seen it in bed a million times, but this view was better than all of the times that they had ever made love. He felt arms around his neck.

"Hey, baby," Lina whispered in his ear.

Cosmo was grateful for the distraction. "Hi." He nipped at her lips and she giggled. They fell onto the sand behind him, making out.

Elizabeth's jaw hung open as she watched. "So this is who he's been sleeping with all this time..." she whispered to Kathy.

"Elizabeth, if you want to know the truth," Don looked at Kathy and sighed. "He's been fucking every girl at Monumental."

Elizabeth looked at Don, shocked. She ran back to Kathy's car, crying every inch of the way. After a few minutes, Kathy joined her, climbing into the backseat where Elizabeth lay, consoling her.

"Now you know what to expect," she repeated.

"How could he do this?"

Kathy looked away, trying to find an explanation. "Cosmo is one of those guys who doesn't care who he hurts. He thinks that he has to get revenge on you for what you did to him. He's Irish, hun. The Irish like their revenge."

Elizabeth wiped away her tears and sat up. "So his idea of revenge is to become Lina's latest boy toy?"

Kathy shrugged. "Every man's dream."

"But he HATES Lina!"

Kathy shrugged again. "Opposites attract."

Elizabeth fell back onto the seat, sobbing. "Hun, listen to me," Kathy brought Elizabeth's face up to hers. "Cosmo is a selfish, spoiled brat. He always has been and he always will be. He feels entitled to things, and when he doesn't get them, he acts like a two-year-old. You were just another one of the things he felt entitled to."

Elizabeth sobbed harder. "Would it make you feel better if I made him apologize to you?"

Elizabeth nodded. Kathy sighed. "All right, I'll go get him."

Cosmo and Lina's making out was interrupted when Cosmo felt a sharp stab in his side.

"Go apologize to her, you goddamn JERK!"

"Kathy, what the hell?"

"Your girlfriend is in my car crying her heart out over YOU. Why, I have no idea, because you're a worthless, cheating piece of trash, but she's crying over you."

Cosmo brushed the insult off. "She can cry me a river for all I care. Tell her to build a bridge and get over it."

Kathy pulled Cosmo up by the neck and looked at him coldly. "All right, all right, all right! I'll go apologize. Damn, Kat..."

Cosmo stared at the sobbing woman for a few moments before getting in the car next to her.

"Baby..." he said, trying to put a hand on her. Elizabeth slapped his hand away and snapped,

"Don't touch me and don't call me 'baby'!"

"Baby..." he put his arms around her. "Don't be like this. I don't like seeing you like this..."

"I don't think you even care."

"What are you talking about?"

Elizabeth pushed his arms off of her. "Don't play dumb with me, Cosmo. Don told me about your little romp through the women of Monumental. Now I know why you told me your job was the most important thing in your life."

Cosmo was taken aback, but he recovered and his eyes narrowed. "Who I sleep with is none of your business."

"Once you're in a relationship with me, it becomes entirely my business." Elizabeth's voice was sinister.

"Well, I don't care who you sleep with."

"That's because you're fucked in the head."

"Oooh, Elizabeth!" Cosmo wiggled his eyebrows. "You swore!"

"Oh, so now we're acting like a five-year-old?"

Cosmo grabbed her by the wrist and whisked her into his car. "Hey, man, what about my ride?" a drunk Don called as they drove away.

Once inside Don and Cosmo's apartment, he thrust open the door to his room and threw her on the bed. She was afraid of what he was going to do to her and covered her face with her hands in fear. He jumped on top of her and grabbed her wrists again, harder, and pinned them down to the bed. She saw his face. It was bordering on mania, his blue eyes glinting that evil shade of blue that she had seen the night he slapped her.

"Listen to me, you whore," he spat quietly. "Ever since that night, I've fucked anything and everything that's come in my way because I wanted you to go away. I've been coming back to this shitty apartment drunk every night because I wanted you to go away. YOU JUST WON'T FUCKING GO AWAY. I pick up chicks that don't look a single fucking thing like you, and all I see is you. The truth is, I still love you and I still want you."

He pulled her hair and kissed her neck violently. "Who do you want?" he said into her neck through clenched teeth.

Elizabeth couldn't answer him. He was pulling her hair so forcefully that it took all she had not to scream out in pain. Finally, he let go of her hair and looked at her. She saw his face soften and his blue eyes turn big and sad as he spoke. He placed his hands on her cheeks and asked again,

"Who do you want?"

Elizabeth felt as if she were under a spell as she looked up at him, trance-like. "You...I want you, Cosmo."

Cosmo bent down and kissed her tenderly. He removed the straps of her bathing suit as she pulled down his trunks. His mouth moved over her breasts, gnawing on them and his hands moved down, caressing her sides. He kissed her lower belly and pulled down her panties, immediately licking inside her and listening to her moan.

"I couldn't keep my eyes off you today," Cosmo said against her skin as he trailed his mouth up her body. "you were so beautiful."

"And you were very handsome." She caressed his arm muscles and pulled him back to her. She put both her arms around his neck as they made out, naked, in Cosmo's bed. She ran her fingers down from his bare chest to his stomach muscles.

"You know, sometimes I wish you had chest hair," she said, stroking his stomach.

"Why, babe?"

"Because it'd make this area" she stroked the area from his nipples to his stomach. "a whoooole lot more fun for me." She smiled mischievously.

"I'm sorry to disappoint you. I'll try and grow some."

"Mmmm, I would love that." They giggled deliciously and made out some more until the kissing got a bit more intense and Elizabeth breathed into Cosmo's chest,

"I want you inside me."

Cosmo slowly moved his tongue around her mouth as he moved inside her gently, knowing each gentle probe and thrust would drive her crazy. His breathing grew more rapid but his kisses remained gentle as he moved down to her neck, his thrusts becoming quicker. He reached down slowly and took her hands and raised them above her head. Elizabeth's hands lay limp against the wall above her as Cosmo trailed his fingers slowly down her arms as he continued kissing and thrusting. His kisses became more forceful and her moans became louder as he thrust deeper and faster, feeling his arousal take over him.

"Oh, goddamn it..." he groaned.

Their lovemaking seemed to reach a new level of intensity that afternoon. They kissed wildly as Cosmo thrust inside her again and again, moaning her name...Elizabeth...Elizabeth...she moaned his name...Cosmo...Cosmo...until they both climaxed hard.

They lay on the bed, covering themselves in the sheets that were drenched and wrinkled with their passion. Elizabeth rested her head against Cosmo's chest, stroking it. He looked down at her.

"I forgot how good this felt," he mumbled. "I'm sorry, baby."

"We've been apologizing a lot lately."

Cosmo looked at the ceiling. "Yeah..." he whispered and closed his eyes.

"Cosmo?"

Cosmo grunted. Elizabeth looked at his sleeping face.

"Was Lina as good as me?"

"Ah, she was all right, I guess."

Elizabeth chuckled. "I know you're lying, but thanks anyway."

Cosmo looked down at her with a gentle half-smile. Both of them couldn't help laughing and kissing each other.

"Honey," Elizabeth said, pulling back. "Let's not make love again. Let's just hold each other."

"You're one hell of a flat tire, you know that?"

Elizabeth laughed as Cosmo flipped her over on her side and held her against his chest. They drifted off to sleep as the last rays of sun faded from the California sky.


	10. Just Don't Tell Me That

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elizabeth leaves abruptly.

"Cosmo...honey...not tonight..."

"But I need you, baby!"

Cosmo and Elizabeth were sitting in front of Elizabeth's fireplace. Elizabeth wore nothing but a white bra and panties, her clothes having been removed by Cosmo. Cosmo's white shirt was unbuttoned and Elizabeth found it hard to resist his perfectly muscled stomach and caressed it, making him shiver. Cosmo kept trying to unsnap her bra, but Elizabeth kept pushing his hands away as he covered her mouth with slow, sexy kisses.

"Baby..." Elizabeth breathed in-between kisses. "We can't do this every night...we have to do romantic things too..."

"Yeah, baby, I know, but you know, after a hard day at work all I wanna do is come home and see you."

His kisses became more passionate and Elizabeth felt her resolve fading. He was caressing her stomach with his fingertips lightly. She adored those fingertips; they seemed to have a mind of their own. During the day, they danced violently across the piano onset. At night, when Cosmo was alone with her, they were completely different; graceful, elegant, almost waltz-like, and oh, so sensual and sexy.

"Baby," he mumbled into her arm.

"Mmm?"

His kisses turned soft again as they melted into her. "I love you."

Elizabeth kissed the tender portion of his ear and buried her face in his shoulder.

"Cosmo...please..." She moved her hands slowly down his chest and stomach and undid the button on his black pants. "I told you we can't do this tonight..."

"You just unbuttoned my pants, babe..."

"I like to tease you."

They giggled deliciously as Elizabeth rested her hand firmly on the back of Cosmo's neck and pressed her lips to his. They made out for a little while longer, Cosmo trying desperately to push Elizabeth's panties aside and feel her wetness, but Elizabeth kept her barriers and resolve firmly in place. She hadn't told Cosmo why she didn't want to go all the way, but the truth was, she didn't want to get carried away with him because she was expecting a phone call from Roscoe Dexter. She hadn't told Cosmo because she knew that disloyalty was a subject that he was very sensitive about. It was in Cosmo's nature to trust everyone, a quality that was endearing to Elizabeth, but also one that she knew was bad. Still, the endearing qualities of it outweighed the bad qualities, and if Cosmo found out that she was still seeing Roscoe, she feared he would never be the same.

Their kissing was interrupted by the phone ringing.

"Don't answer it," Cosmo whispered in her ear. Elizabeth was so nervous that she hadn't noticed that he had succeeded in finding her wetness and she moaned as he drew circles inside her with his index finger.

Elizabeth regained her composure and took Cosmo's finger out of her sex. Cosmo looked at her with bored blue eyes as she reached for the phone.

"Hello?" she said into the phone as Cosmo kissed her neck. "Hi. No, I'm at home. No, she isn't, she's with Donald." She tried to keep her voice level as Cosmo finally unsnapped her bra and tossed it aside and kissed, caressed and sucked her breasts and neck.

"What? No. I know. I'm kinda busy right now..."

"Hang up, baby, I need you," Cosmo whispered into her neck. Elizabeth sighed.

"Okay, I'll be there in a minute." Cosmo pulled back and stared at her, horrified. "No!" he mouthed.

"Bye." Elizabeth hung up the phone and placed it back on the coffee table. "I have to go, baby."

"Why?" Cosmo asked, disturbed, as Elizabeth stood up and put her bra and clothes back on.

"No reason. I just have...an errand to run."

"What kind of errand?" Cosmo's tone of voice grew serious as he stood up and his eyes narrowed.

Elizabeth looked at him sadly. She walked over to him slowly and put her arms around his neck. She kissed him lovingly on the lips and rested her forehead against his.

"It has nothing to do with us," she whispered. "You just stay here, okay?"

"Where are you going?" Cosmo asked quietly but sternly.

"Cosmo, please!" Elizabeth placed her hands firmly on his cheeks. "Just trust me," she whispered. "This is just something I have to do." She pecked him on the lips quickly and ran out of the apartment, leaving Cosmo staring after her. He picked up the phone.

"Hello, operator? Get me Sunset and Camden. Don? It's Cos. Meet me at the bus station at Sunset and Bedford in thirty minutes."

"Why? What's up, buddy? Where's Elizabeth?"

"She's going somewhere, and I think I know where."


	11. Secret Agent Men

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Don and Cosmo do what Don and Cosmo do best: get to the bottom of things, and it leads to a mysterious man and a shocking discovery.

"Cosmo, why are we at the bus station?"

"Use your brain, Don. We're taking the bus someplace."

"Why can't we take your car?"

"Too obvious."

They were at the bus station at Sunset and Bedford. Don sat on the bench under the awning, smoking a cigarette and watching Cosmo pace in front of him. It was one AM, the dead of night. Don stood up, approaching Cosmo, who stopped pacing to look at his best friend.

"What do you mean, 'too obvious'? Too obvious for what? You're not making any sense, Cosmo."

Cosmo ran his hand over his mouth.

"Oh, gimme that," he snapped, grabbing Don's cigarette and taking a hit.

"That was mature," Don said sarcastically. "Look, man, all I want to know is why we're here. What happened?"

"Bloody hell..." Cosmo mumbled, running a hand over his mouth again. "Okay..." he took a deep breath. "We were making out and then...then the phone rang. She got it and talked for a few minutes. Then she hung up and said she had to run an errand."

Don stared at him with a look on his face that told Cosmo that he couldn't believe what he had just heard. "That's it? That's why we're here? Like, are you an idiot?"

"Does Kathy 'run errands'" Cosmo made quotation marks in the air with his fingers. "at one in the morning?"

Don shrugged. "I go to A&W to get beer at one in the morning sometimes and Kathy doesn't say anything."

"Okay, one, that's not what I asked you and I don't care, and two, Kathy doesn't say anything because she understands you. Now are you my best friend or not?"

"Of course I'm your best friend."

"Then do me a favor and help me get to the bottom of this. Please?"

"Hey, I never said I wouldn't help you, just that...Cos, don't you think you're being a tiny bit insecure?"

"Hey, man, I'm not trying to control her or anything, but when a chick goes out at one in the morning to 'run errands'" Cosmo made the quotation marks again. "Don't you think something's a little off?"

Don opened his mouth as if he were about to say something, but closed it and shook his head, a hopeless look on his face. At that moment, the bus arrived. Don and Cosmo stepped on, Don going first. He took a seat in the middle-back of the bus and watched Cosmo tell the driver their destination and slip him ten cents, covering his and Don's fare. Don looked around a bit before the bus started moving. There were a few other people on the bus, including some elderly ladies and gentlemen sitting at the back. What are old people doing out at one in the morning? Don wondered. There was no one sitting in the seat in front of him, but when he moved his eyes to the seat across from him, he saw a police officer staring out the window. Next to him was an old man with a long gray beard. He was dressed in an old gray jacket and he was hunched over. Don leaned forward and saw that he was handcuffed. A shiver ran through him as he surveyed the rest of the bus. Behind the police officer and his charge, there sat a young man who looked like a black-haired version of Cosmo. He was dressed completely in black and his eyes had large black bags under them. His eyelashes seemed to be covered with heavy black eyeliner. He was staring at Don with wide, beetle-black eyes. Don turned his head to face forward again. He took a quick breath and quickly spun around to look at the seat behind him. The young man was now sitting directly behind him, staring at him with narrow, black eyes and a smirk. Don faced forward again and gulped. I'm on the bus ride from Hell, he thought.

"I didn't even know the buses ran this late," Don mused, looking out the window at the Roaring 20s Beverly Hills nightlife as the bus started to roll again and Cosmo plopped down next to him.

"It's 1927, Don. Not the Jurassic age," Cosmo muttered quietly, barely audible over the roar of the bus, staring straight ahead.

Don brushed Cosmo's snarkiness aside. "So what'd you tell him?"

Cosmo looked at Don for the first time since they had got on the bus. "Hm?"

"The driver. What'd you tell him?"

"'Bout what?"

"'Bout where we're going."

Cosmo's expression turned bored again and he went back to staring straight ahead. "You'll find out when we get there."

"How long of a drive is it?"

Cosmo looked at Don, frustrated. "You got somewhere to be?"

"No, it...was...just a question..."

Cosmo stared at the driver's back, lips pursed. "Thirty-one minutes," he answered curtly.

"Are you being serious? Or are you just trying to piss me off?"

"I'm being serious. It'll take us thirty-one minutes to get there, and thirty-one minutes to get back."

Don looked around. The young man was still sitting behind them, pale as a ghost and staring directly at Don with those beetle-black eyes. Don leaned in to Cosmo and murmured, "West Hollywood?"

Cosmo nodded slowly.

"What would she be doing in West Hollywood?"

"That's what I'd like to know."

"Don Lockwood?"

Don turned abruptly to face the young man, who was now leaning forward with big, drooping eyes. "Yes, that's me," Don answered nervously.

The young man's head turned mechanically to face Cosmo, as if a cog. "Who are you?" the speed of his speech was almost robotic.

Cosmo turned to Don and mouthed, "Friend of yours?" Don shook his head slowly. Cosmo turned back to the man and cleared his throat. "Cosmo. Cosmo Brown," and extended his hand. The man grabbed Cosmo's hand and brought it down quickly, hitting the bar on top of the seat.

"Ow!" Cosmo hissed, observing his wrist.

"James Lake," the man introduced himself, ignoring Cosmo's pain. "I understand you're looking for a woman?"

"That's none of your business," Cosmo turned around to face forward again.

"Would this woman's name be Elizabeth Shores, by any chance?"

Cosmo's eyes widened. He turned around to face James and grabbed him by his heavy shirt collar.

"What did you do with her?" he spat quietly, icy blue fire welling up in his eyes.

"I didn't do anything with her," James answered calmly and matter-of-factly.

Cosmo let go of the stranger's collar. He exhaled, trying to regain composure. "Where is she?"

"You told the boss you were headed to West Hollywood?"

"The boss?" Don asked. "What do you mean? Do you work on this bus?"

"I thought you were smart, Mr. Lockwood."

Don was speechless. "Sorry...not familiar with the slang, I guess..."

James directed his attention back to Cosmo. "Answer the question, Mr. Brown. Did you or did you not tell the boss you were headed to West Hollywood? I saw you give him ten cents."

"Yes, I did."

James smiled, satisfied. "You did the right thing, buddy. I know where she is, and I can take you there."

Cosmo eyed him suspiciously. "What's the catch?"

"No catch, mug. We get off the bus and get in a cab and I take you fellas to where she is."

"Do I gotta pay you?"

"No. I don't need no money."

"Why can't you just tell me where she is?"

"Don't work like that, buster. We get off the bus, get in a cab and I take you to where she is."

"What's your stake in her? Is someone forcing you to do this?" Cosmo asked slowly. "You don't need to help me. I can look for her myself. I got Don to help me."

Don beamed at James.

"What are you doing hanging around this guy?" James asked Don.

"He's my best friend."

"Best friend, huh?"

Don nodded. "Mhm, since we were kids!"

"Hm. Let me ask you this, then, Mr. Lockwood. Put the case that Mr. Brown here goes searching for this Shores dame. Put the case that you're outside wherever she is, waiting for him. Put the case that he don't come back."

"B-but..." Don stammered. "Cos always comes back." A confident smile appeared on his face. "We always come back for each other!"

James laughed evilly. "We'll see about that. With me or not, Mr. Brown?"

Don and Cosmo looked at each other. Don shook his head slowly with big brown eyes and a gaping mouth.

"This is my only shot, Don," Cosmo murmured, looking at Don with pleading blue eyes.

Don sighed. He tried to offer an alternative, but none came to him; his buddy was dead set on getting his girl back. He nodded at James, who smiled and sunk back into his seat. Cosmo and Don did not talk for the rest of the bus ride, worry flooding every part of their bodies.

Finally, the bus stopped at Seal Beach and Pacific Coast. Before Cosmo, who was nearest the aisle, could stand up, James whizzed past him, jumping off the bus. The boys looked out the window to see him looking up at them, his face expressionless. Cosmo and Don looked at each other and slowly got off the bus. As he was getting off, Don thought he saw the handcuffed old man raise his eyes to look at him out of the corner of his eye.

"Don?"

Don shook himself and looked down at Cosmo, who was standing at the foot of the bus steps.

"You okay?"

"Yeah...fine." Don thanked the driver for the ride and descended the steps.

"You're not scared, are you?"

"Are you?"

Cosmo grabbed Don's arm. "To death."

"Me too."

"Why?"

"I'm scared for you, bud."

The boys looked at each other, took a deep breath and followed James into the cab that he had hailed. None of the men talked during the cab ride. After a few short minutes, the cab stopped in front of a shady-looking speakeasy in one of West Hollywood's back alleys. James spoke the password and the door was opened to them. They found themselves in a hazy barroom. Everyone was fancily dressed; the women in traditional flapper dresses and the men in tuxedos. Cosmo surveyed the room, looking for Elizabeth. He looked to the left and right and saw nothing. He looked back to the left again.

He saw her. Her eyes widened when she saw him. She was dressed in a fine glittery silver dress. Cosmo fought to keep his arousal at a standstill when he saw how it showed off her curves. She was holding a cigarette in its holder. Cosmo marched up to her.

"This is the errand you had to run, huh?"

"Cosmo...I can explain..."

Elizabeth was about to start her story when a hand rested against her breasts. Cosmo's gaze shifted to her right to look Roscoe Dexter in the eyes.

"Hey there, piano player."

"Hello, Dexter." Cosmo felt his hands ball into fists.

"Roscoe, what are you doing with Cozzie's chick?" Don asked innocently, sidling up behind Cosmo's shoulder.

"'Cozzie's chick' just happens to be my moll."

Don's eyes widened. "Wait, what?"

As Don and Roscoe bickered, Cosmo stared at Elizabeth with a sick look on his face. "How many times are you going to fucking lie to me?" he asked quietly.

Elizabeth was panicking, searching for a way to respond. "Cosmo...I couldn't tell you about this."

"WHY NOT?" Cosmo's face was red with seething anger. The whole bar went silent and every head was turned in their direction.

Elizabeth was on the verge of tears. Don had stopped fighting with Roscoe. He nudged Cosmo.

"Come on, buddy. Let's go home," he said quietly. "you can't trust anyone in Hollywood." He gave Roscoe and Elizabeth a glare and he and Cosmo walked away.

"I told you so," James murmured to Cosmo as the two left.

Don and Cosmo were the only people on the bus ride home. They did not speak to each other. At one point, Don looked over to see Cosmo drawing on the foggy windows. Cosmo leaned his head against the lower portion of the glass, and Don saw a depiction of a hanged man on a gallows with an arrow pointing to the man's head. Above the arrow was written the word "Me."

 

The bus stopped at Sunset and Bedford and Don walked slowly off the bus and went to sit in Cosmo's car. Cosmo eventually trudged off the bus. He moved zombie-like into the driver's seat and the two headed home.

Once home, Don prepared some coffee and Cosmo went in his room.

"Hey, Cos," Don called, dejected. "Coffee's ready."

No answer.

"Cos?" Don wandered into Cosmo's room and his jaw dropped.

A rope was taped to the ceiling and hung around Cosmo's neck. Cosmo himself stood on the box that he kept in front of his bed that contained his family photos.

"You mind pulling this thing out from under me?" Cosmo asked, indicating the small brown box.

"Cozzer, what are you doing?"

"Killing myself."

"No! No! No!" Don rushed over and lifted the rope from Cosmo's neck. Cosmo tried to pull it back down, but Don was stronger.

"Cos, listen to me! She's not worth it! You'll find another girl!"

Cosmo stopped fighting, but kept his grip firm on the rope. A stream of tears fell from his eyes.

"It's a mess, bro," he cried. "It's a fuckin' mess."

"I know, man. I know." Don hugged his best friend tightly. Cosmo sobbed into Don's shoulder as the first rays of morning sun lightly grazed the sky.


	12. I Drive Myself Crazy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cosmo falls into a trap...again.

Cosmo's depression was worse. He ate almost nothing and was skinnier than he ever had been. He lay in bed all day and listened to Don and Kathy either make love or fight - they were fighting now. Don was upset because he was losing his best friend, and Kathy didn't like to see him in pain, so they fought and made up to make themselves feel better. The only reason Cosmo wasn't dead yet was because Don would never be able to survive if his best friend committed suicide, so he took to the next best thing: skipping work and sleeping all day. Elizabeth called the boys' apartment every day, just like last time. And, like last time, Cosmo didn't answer, although there was something different from last time: he was finding it hard not to answer. He was finding it hard not to talk to her. He didn't know what it was and he was too depressed to think, so he decided to attribute it to lack of sex.

When the depression first started, Cosmo didn't see it as a problem. He reasoned that it would be just like the last time; that he would be up on his feet in a week and a half, going back to work, drinking, sleeping with Lina and other women every night, having the time of his life. However, when a week and a half passed, he was still in bed, not going to work, sober as a tree, and sexless. He hadn't showered in weeks. He had a terrible case of bedhead and he had grown a thick, hairy brown goatee that stretched from his upper lip to the tip of his chin. He didn't think of Elizabeth. He didn't know what to think anymore. All he knew was he was ready to quit. Ready to die.

After a few weeks, the reason why he wasn't having the time of his life dawned on him. He had shut Elizabeth out of his life, but just like the last time, no matter how much he shut her out, no matter how much he drank and fucked, he had to face the music: he was dead without her.

The major difference between Cosmo's and Elizabeth's depressions was that Cosmo lay in bed all day, not making a sound, thinking of nothing. Elizabeth lay in bed and cried and thought of Cosmo. Even when she found the strength to go about her business, she cried. Every morning when she woke up, like last time, she looked at the space beside her and saw Cosmo's boyish, smiling face and glowing blue eyes looking up at her and cried because he wasn't there. She kept calling the boys' apartment every day, but like last time, the calls came to no avail, until one cloudy day in early April. She picked up the phone, about to make another call when she decided it wasn't good enough. She had to see him in person.

She knocked on the door to the boys' apartment. Don answered, half-smiling weakly.

"Hi, Don. May I speak to Cosmo?"

"He's in his room," he said quietly. He knocked on the door of Cosmo's room and opened it. "Cos? Someone's here to see y--" His and Elizabeth's eyes widened before they even stepped over the threshold.

Cosmo and Lina immediately broke away from each other and their eyes shot towards the door to look Don and Elizabeth straight in the eyes.

"You're depressed, huh?" Elizabeth's voice rose with every sentence. She wasn't sad anymore; she was downright angry. "You're depressed?!" She walked briskly over to Cosmo and began hitting him with her small handbag. "You're DEPRESSED, you fucking asshole?!?"

"Hey, hey, hey! STOP!"

As Elizabeth and Cosmo screamed at each other, Lina got into her clothes and Don showed her out. Cosmo got out of bed, put his boxers on and grabbed Elizabeth's arms and shook her forcibly, begging her to listen to him.

"NO, Cosmo! I'm DONE listening to you!"

"We broke UP, Elizabeth! What do you WANT me to do? I've been lying in that bed for six fucking months. I'm only now just doing something about it."

She walked away from him, beginning to sob again. She wiped away her tears and turned to look at him, still teary-eyed.

"Cosmo, I may have hurt you twice, but at least I was faithful to you."

Cosmo burst out laughing. It was an evil laugh, not like the happy laugh Elizabeth remembered.

"I guess you forgot all about your little fling with Dexter." He folded his arms. "In fact, I'd like to know exactly what happened between you two. Was it good?" He teased evilly.

"We never had sex!" Elizabeth yelled.

"Oh, yeah, sure. I'll just lie about my sex life, too. It's not like my boyfriend has a right to know that or anything. Boy, ain't I a pillar of honesty?"

"I thought you weren't my boyfriend anymore?"

Cosmo stared at her with icy sapphire-blue eyes. He grabbed her wrists like he had that day at the beach and slammed her against the wall, like he had on their first night together, only this time it was not tender or romantic by any means; it was a hard, cold slam; he intended to hurt her.

"Tell me what you did to him." His voice was sinister and quiet.

"What do you want to know?" Elizabeth remained unfazed. No more getting scared of his Irish temper.

"Did he touch you?"

Elizabeth hesitated. "He put a finger inside me and played with my breasts." She could see his eyes becoming filled with more and more rage.

"Did you touch him?"

Elizabeth said nothing.

"Answer me!" Cosmo yelled.

"I...used my mouth."

The same stinging feeling that Elizabeth had felt the night that she told Cosmo that she was a spy came back; the slap came so fast that if it hadn't contained an extreme amount of pain, she would have never noticed it. The tears streaming down her cheek made the pain even worse.

"Yeah, sure, Cosmo!" she sobbed hysterically. "I'm the bitch, right? And you're just a goddamn saint! Care to explain to me why I just saw Lina in your bed, then?"

Cosmo thought for a minute. "I decided I needed to fuck you out of my system," he finally answered quietly.

"Do you know I have been crying every morning because I look down at my bed and see you're not there?" she asked, almost whispering.

"Not my problem. Do you know that I haven't been with a woman until today and I wasn't planning to? Do you know that Lina crawled into my bed by her own volition? I left my window open because it was hot out. Sue me."

"Not my problem," Elizabeth mimicked.

They stared at each other for a few minutes more. "Do you know that I still want you?" Cosmo asked quietly. "But I'm not letting myself fall for you because I know that if I do I'm gonna fall right back into your trap."

"What trap, Cosmo? You think I do these things on purpose? You find me out all the time!"

"I don't know, Elizabeth," Cosmo said helplessly and shook his head. "I don't know what to do anymore. I know you're not worth it, but I still want you. And I still love you. I think I'm always gonna love you, no matter what you do or what lies you tell me."

"And I'll always love you, Cosmo, no matter how many times you sleep with Lina or any other woman."

Cosmo chuckled. "Some values we got, huh?"

"Yeah." Elizabeth smiled. "But in the end, they're good ones."

Cosmo smiled and walked up to her. She leaned back against the wall and he kissed her tenderly, sliding his tongue timidly between her lips. His goatee tickled her mouth. She ran her hands over his stomach muscles and his chest and broke away when she felt tiny bristles of hair under her fingers.

"You grew chest hair!" she whispered.

"Package deal with the goatee, darlin'."

"Mmmm, I love it."

"Baby, you wanna shower?"

"It smells like you need one." They both laughed. Elizabeth's smile faded.

"Have you really been in here all this time?"

Cosmo fixed her with hard blue eyes and nodded slowly.

"What have you been thinking about?"

"You." And he leaned in and kissed her tenderly. It was a kiss that Elizabeth would remember for the rest of her life. His tongue gently slipped between her lips and found her tongue and lightly played with it as he kissed her. Elizabeth pushed him away gently and said,

"And I don't like the goatee. It's gotta go."

Cosmo grinned slyly. "I'm gonna make you work overtime for that one."

Elizabeth laughed. Cosmo led her into the bathroom where he slowly stripped her of her white dress, bra and panties, all the while kissing her tenderly.

"God, I've missed your lips, baby," he mumbled against them. Elizabeth ran her hands down his sides and slowly removed his boxers. They stepped into the shower and Cosmo turned the water on. Elizabeth gave a little yelp at how cold the water initially was and Cosmo smiled and made it warmer. She looked at him. If he was good-looking when he was dry, he was gorgeous when he was wet. His red hair clung in bangs to his forehead and tiny beads of water surrounded his navel on his perfect stomach.

Cosmo took a bar of soap and the lovers began to caress each other with lathery desire. Cosmo's tongue searched Elizabeth's mouth as he kissed her, trying to mend their relationship. They finished showering and Cosmo turned the water off. Elizabeth took a can of shaving cream and Cosmo smiled as she applied it to his goatee and his forming beard. She took his razor and shaved it all off. After she was done, they both looked in the mirror. Elizabeth smiled with relief; his face was back to the way she remembered - clean-shaven and boyish. She ran her hands over the now smooth area where his goatee had been. Cosmo kissed her hand as it went over his mouth.

"Get ready," he mumbled into her hand.

"For what?"

"I'm taking you out tonight."

"Why?"

"We need an emergency dose of romance." Elizabeth laughed.

Cosmo straightened his bow tie. He checked his tuxedo and made sure everything was in order with his appearance. He wanted everything to be perfect tonight.

"Okay, I'm ready!" the call came from the bathroom.

"Let's see it!"

"Promise you won't objectify me?"

Cosmo rolled his eyes. "Promise!"

"Close your eyes!"

Cosmo rolled his eyes again and closed them.

"They closed?"

"Yup!"

Elizabeth stepped out. "Okay. Open them!"

Cosmo opened his eyes and immediately had to widen them. Elizabeth was stunning. She leaned against the bathroom door like a silent movie star and let Cosmo look at her. She wore a glittery black dress, black teardrop earrings and black heels. Her dress fit her body nicely and hugged her waist. The dress was tasteful, but he could see the swell of her breasts between the straps. The straps were snug on her shoulders, and Cosmo couldn't take his eyes off of how creamy and delicious they looked. Elizabeth had the sexiest body that he had ever seen. Her perfume traveled up his nose and made him want her even more.

"You look nice." He remembered the warning Elizabeth had given him.

"Is that what you really think?"

"No," he said thoughtfully. "you look amazing. I'm the luckiest guy in the world."

He smiled and offered her his arm. She smiled back, took it and they went out. They met Don and Kathy at the Polo Lounge for dinner and drinks.

"You shaved!" Don exclaimed after dinner.

Cosmo laughed. "Elizabeth shaved me."

"So you two are back on?"

"We're taking things slow. I want to know if I can trust her."

"Can she trust you?" Don raised his eyebrows.

Cosmo hesitated. "Of course."

At that moment Elizabeth walked over and took Cosmo's arm. "Come on, Cosmo, we're gonna be late for the show!"

"Of course, my love. See ya later, Don."

"You two need the place to yourself tonight?" Don joked.

Cosmo and Elizabeth looked at each other. "Oh...I...think we do," Cosmo winked.

They left and Kathy scooted over next to Don and looked up at him with a look that asked, "Will they be okay?" Don looked down at her and smiled helplessly.

"We can only hope," he assured her.

 

Cosmo and Elizabeth sat in the balcony of Grauman's Chinese Theatre. They were watching Dermot Darby's newest play Maid of All Work. It was a comedy; Elizabeth thought for some reason that a tragedy would be more romantic, but Cosmo didn't like to see her cry, so they saw a comedy. For Cosmo, however, the only show he saw was sitting right next to him. Throughout the show, he couldn't take his eyes off of Elizabeth. He hadn't told her, but the other reason he had wanted to see a comedy was because he loved watching her laugh. Her face lit up and those brilliant white teeth shone. He loved the way her brown eyes lit up with glee. At one point during the show, their eyes met. Cosmo threaded his fingers through hers and they watched the rest of the show.

After the show was over, Cosmo took Elizabeth's hand and led her back to his car. He wouldn't tell her where they were going, and she didn't want to ask; wherever they went, she knew it would be perfect.

"Close your eyes," he whispered when they reached a stoplight.

She closed them and half-smiled as she listened to the hum of the engine and the night breeze in her hair for a few minutes more. She reflected on how perfect the night had been. Finally, she heard a quiet voice say,

"Open them."

Elizabeth did as she was told and her eyes widened. She looked out in front of her and saw the entire city, with the blinking lights of the movie palaces, the cars and the nightclubs. She saw a bright light just below the city and turned to look at Cosmo, her face in shock.

"The Hollywood sign? We're on top of the Hollywood sign?"

Cosmo smiled warmly and nodded. "It's the perfect place."

"For what?"

Cosmo got out of the car and walked over to the edge of the sign. Elizabeth watched him put his hands in his pockets and look out over the city. She got out and took his hand. He smiled at her and put his arm around her. She nuzzled into his chest.

"I'm sorry," he cooed. "I shouldn't have slapped you."

"I deserved it."

"You don't deserve any of the hell I put you through." Cosmo put his hands on her cheeks and lifted her face to his. "I want you to be loved," he said quietly. "THAT'S what you deserve. Not to be slapped." He leaned in and kissed her softly. His tongue found hers and searched her mouth. She wrapped her arms around his neck and the kiss became more passionate. Still kissing, they made their way back to his car. He opened the door and they fell into the front seat, Cosmo on top and Elizabeth on the bottom. They made out passionately. Elizabeth moaned as he kissed her neck. He sat the two of them back up and they made out on the seat.

"Do you want to go home, babe?" Cosmo breathed.

"Are you sure?" she giggled quietly but deliciously and curled her lips. "I'd let you get me in the back seat."

Cosmo smiled and started the engine. They got back to Don and Cosmo's apartment and immediately they were kissing passionately. Cosmo pushed her up against the kitchen and sitting room threshold wall and forced himself onto her with only the moonlight shining through the kitchen window. Elizabeth's senses were shot, but at the same time, they were so blissfully aware of what was going on. Cosmo was usually romantic and passionate, but tonight he was possessed. He pushed her harder against the wall, wrapping his arms around her waist. She wrapped her arms around his neck. Their kisses were bruising.

"I'm gonna make you go wild tonight, baby," he murmured against her lips and swirling his tongue around her mouth.

She grabbed his erection through his pants and caressed up and down. She smiled against his lips when she heard his breathing quicken in response. Feeling more confident, she took off his suit jacket. He responded by unzipping her dress. She stepped out of it and he undid her garter, pulled off her stockings and pulled down her panties, all of which were black. After caressing her bottom for a few minutes, he glided his hands up her back.

"God, babe, you're so damn soft...I can't get enough of you..." he sighed. He moved his hands up to her lacy black bra, unsnapped it and threw it aside. He leaned her against the sink and gazed at how the moonlight made her face look amazing. She pulled his lips to hers and pulled him away from the sink.

Still kissing her, Cosmo led her into the living room, intending to go into his bedroom, but they didn't make it. Instead, she pulled him down onto the carpet and pressed his lips to hers. He flipped her on top of him.

"Not if I make you go wild first," she simpered against his lips. She quickly undid his bow tie and unbuttoned his shirt and tossed them both aside. She dug her nails into his stomach muscles and kissed him in her sexy way that turned him on. Looking down at his face to see his reaction, she unbutton his slacks and threw them aside, along with his boxers. He pressed into her and she began to grind her hips against him. She trailed her lips down his body and kissed his smooth, muscled stomach. He picked her up and made his way to his bedroom and threw her on his bed. He glued his lips to hers, going deeper inside her. Her warmth and moistness surrounded him and he couldn't get enough of her. Cosmo thrust in and out of her and teased her nipples with his tongue and sucked on each breast. Elizabeth moaned; he was being exciting, erotic, sexy and romantic all at once, and neither her body nor her mind could get enough of what he was giving her. She grabbed his shoulders. He covered her lips with his. Still hard, he pulled out of her and reached down and licked and kissed inside her. Elizabeth's cries became louder as she got closer to climax. Cosmo smiled internally. He was pushing her over the edge and he loved it. When he nuzzled his lips against her sex and licked inside her as far as he could go, that was it. She climaxed hard, throwing her head back and crying and burying her face in Cosmo's shoulder.

Elizabeth regained her composure. Now it was Cosmo's turn to climax. She flipped herself on top of him and he grabbed her hips as she rocked them. Cosmo was thrilled. They had never made love this way, and it was exciting and sexy. She dug her nails into his shoulders and dragged them down his body, making him moan. She glided her lips down his lower stomach and onto his erection. Still rocking her hips, she kissed it slowly and softly, making sure that her tongue pressed lightly to it with each kiss.

"Oh, Jesus Christ..." Cosmo groaned.

She pulled him up to sit up in front of her and she lowered herself onto his erection. Their kisses were tender and passionate. Elizabeth trailed her fingers down his body as they kissed and dragged her nails down his erection.

"Oh, God..." Cosmo buried his face in her shoulder and cried out as his climax took control of him.

They both breathed out slowly. The night of passion was over. They stayed like that for a bit, Elizabeth stroking Cosmo's hair and Cosmo kissing her shoulder.

"Baby..." he murmured. "I was dead without you."

"Me too."

"Never lie to me again."

"Never. Never cheat on me again."

"I won't, baby. I won't." And he kissed her shoulder once more before he eased them back onto the passion-drenched pillow and they both fell asleep.


	13. Mom Is Calling

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cosmo does something amazing.

Cosmo and Elizabeth sat up in bed. Cosmo's arms were wrapped tightly around Elizabeth. The bright early morning sun streamed through the windows into Cosmo's room. It was Monday. The weekend had been absolutely magical. Sunday, they had gone to church and then went on a picnic on the beach. Sunday night they made love again, and it was probably the most amazing sexual experience that either of them had ever had. Both of them felt that the hole in their relationship had been fixed.

Elizabeth rested her head against Cosmo's shoulder. She loved how he looked in the mornings; his red hair was tousled and his voice, usually high and loud, was husky with tiredness, and she found that sexy. She found his normal voice sexy too, but she loved this one even more. Elizabeth's favorite part about Cosmo in the mornings, besides the loving tenderness and tiredness in his blue eyes, was the feel of his muscles against her skin. The way his skin burned with sweat and passion when they made love and then turned ice cold with the gray dawn of the morning was very alluring and intriguing to her.

But now it was Monday, and Elizabeth knew that now that Cosmo was glued back together, he was going to go back to work and leave the comfort of her arms.

"Are you going to go to work?" she whispered, kissing his ear gently to wake him up.

Cosmo's eyes fluttered open. He eased back drowsily to look at her and nodded slowly, looking at her with those drowsy blue eyes that she loved so much. Elizabeth groaned with disappointment. She loved the mornings when they were like this in each other's arms. Holding his weary, climax-stricken body for as long as possible in the morning was the greatest feeling in the entire world.

Cosmo kissed Elizabeth deeply but drowsily on the lips and moved her backward as if he were getting out of bed, but instead he leaned his forehead against her chest and held her waist. Elizabeth toyed with the silver shamrock necklace that hung around his neck.

"Shouldn't you be getting ready for work?" she asked sleepily.

"I can't, babe."

"Why not?"

"My eyes will keep coming back to you. I don't trust myself."

Elizabeth chuckled and kissed his shoulder.

"Why are you so beautiful, sweetheart?" Cosmo mumbled.

"That's how God made me," she whispered. He chuckled and held her warm body tighter as his fingers moved down to her nipples. He looked at her.

"One more time?" he pleaded quietly, teasing her nipples to hard peaks with his thumbs. "Please? Before I have to go?" He leaned in to kiss her but she pushed him away gently.

"You need to get ready."

"What'd I say?"

"Cosmo, I can't just make love to you whenever you want me to!"

"I never said that!" His voice grew louder.

"Yes you do! All you want from me is sex! You don't care about me at all!"

"Elizabeth, I tell you I love you and I tell you you're beautiful every day!"

Elizabeth hesitated. "I just wish you would show it in more ways than one," she said quietly.

Cosmo got out of bed slowly and got dressed in a black polo that showed off his muscles and a pair of blue jeans. He gave Elizabeth a quick peck on the lips. "There's food in the fridge. I'll be back around one."

"One?"

"Sure! Honey, I don't do nothing but play piano for four hours!"

Elizabeth laughed as he left. She heard the door slam, signaling that Cosmo was on his way to work and she got up. She looked inside one of Cosmo's drawers and found one of his button-down white shirts. Smiling when she smelled it, she put it on and buttoned it up. She sighed and looked around Cosmo's room. Not surprisingly, it was messy, and not just with the clothes that he had shed when he made love to her the night before; clothes were strewn all around the room. Not a lot of clothes, but enough to be considered messy, and they were mostly Cosmo's dress shirts. Next to a light summery pink dress shirt lay an empty carton of Chinese food, the fork still in it. Elizabeth smiled, shook her head and brought the carton out into the kitchen and threw it away. She washed the fork and put it in the dishwasher. She went back into Cosmo's room. Cosmo's current radio stood on the nightstand, but Elizabeth spied a smashed, broken radio hidden behind the small bookcase. She moved forward to inspect it further. Glass was strewn next to it, along with a small pocket knife. The knife's handle was black leather and in a small oval near the end was embroidered the initials "C.L.B." Elizabeth went into the storage closet in the kitchen and pulled out a dust pan and broom and cleaned up that mess as well. She put the knife on Cosmo's nightstand, running her hands over the fine embroidery.

Elizabeth sat down on the bed and looked up. Hanging on the wall above the nightstand was an AK-47. The gun rested behind a frame. Elizabeth quickly pulled out the nightstand drawer and pulled out a silver Colt magnum handgun. She put it back in the drawer and pulled out two pieces of paper. They were court-issued documents saying that Cosmo was legally permitted to own a gun in the states of Pennsylvania and California. Paper-clipped to both documents were two licenses bearing Cosmo's smiling face. Next to the picture was his personal information.

Elizabeth sighed and put the licenses away. She got up and inspected the bookshelf. It was filled with surprisingly hefty books: A History of Surfing and The 19th Century Golf Chronicle to name a few. She ventured out of Cosmo's room and decided to go into Don's room. She was expecting a room much cleaner than Cosmo's had been, but she opened the door and she shook her head with disappointment; Don's clothes were laying all around the room. Pittsburgh Pirates bobbleheads stood on the bureau. Several baseballs autographed by each of the Pirates players themselves rested in square glass cases in front of them. Above Don's bed hung a black and white framed picture of Forbes Field, the Pirates' home stadium. Elizabeth yawned, went back to Cosmo's room, fell on his bed and went to sleep.

 

"Augh!" Elizabeth cried out as a heavy object collapsed across her body.

"Daddy's home!" came a sly whisper in her ear. Elizabeth giggled as Cosmo planted soft, sexy kisses on her lips.

"How was work?" she asked.

"I missed you," he whispered into her neck. They held each other for a few minutes, Elizabeth burying her face into the crook of Cosmo's shoulder. Suddenly, Cosmo scrambled up off the bed.

"I got something for ya!" he exclaimed. "Close your eyes." He left the room and a few minutes later came back. "Open them," he said quietly.

Elizabeth opened her eyes to see Cosmo standing in the doorway holding a bouquet of a dozen pink roses.

"Pink is your favorite color, isn't it?" he smiled.

Elizabeth got up slowly and walked up to him and touched the roses. "Oh, Cosmo...they're so beautiful...thank you."

Cosmo put the roses down on the bureau and the two embraced. "We have to get up early tomorrow," Cosmo said quietly.

"Why?"

Cosmo pulled back to look at her. "You're going to work."

Elizabeth's eyes widened. "You mean..."

Cosmo nodded. Elizabeth squealed with delight as Cosmo picked her up and spun her around and laughed. He set her back down and she asked,

"How did you do it?"

"Well, Don and I talked to R.F. on our lunch break, and it took a while, but he finally agreed to give you your job back."

"Did you two put in a good word for me?"

"Of course."

"What'd you say?"

"Well, we told him that Warner fired you, and you were really sorry and that you wouldn't sleep with any of the staff again..."

"Cosmo!" she slapped him playfully on the elbow.

"Hey, calm down, Elizabeth!" Cosmo laughed. "I'm just joshing you!"

Elizabeth pulled him in for another kiss. "I got you something else, too," he said into her ear. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small navy blue box. Kneeling down on one knee and looking up at her with crystallized blue eyes, he said,

"Marry me, Elizabeth." Cosmo opened the box to reveal the most beautiful diamond ring that Elizabeth had ever seen. The band was gold and even in the light of day, the diamond shone with brilliance. Elizabeth pulled Cosmo up by the hands and kissed him.

"Yes," she whispered. Cosmo smiled and laughed as he spun her around again. He walked over to the windows and closed them. He closed the door and walked back over to Elizabeth. He gathered her in his arms and gave her a kiss. Elizabeth seemed to fall into his blue eyes as she melted into his body. She ran her hands up his chest and unbuttoned the white buttons on his black polo. She lifted it over his head and tossed it aside. She gazed in awe at his body. She had seen it a thousand times before, but nothing like this. He was tan, muscular and the fact that he was wearing jeans made him that much hotter to her. His body, coupled with the jeans, aroused her beyond compare and she kissed him hungrily.

Cosmo led her to the bed, turning the lamp on and taking off the shirt she was wearing. He lay her down and climbed on top of her. Still kissing her, he unbuttoned his jeans and she helped him take them off and he crushed his body into hers. They pulled down his boxers together as they kissed hungrily. Cosmo moved his mouth down to Elizabeth's neck and kissed it voraciously as his hands moved down to her breasts, moving them slowly in circles with his palms until the nipples hardened. He slowed down his pace to make the lovemaking more romantic and planted slow, sexy kisses down her chest and breasts.

"We'll go to the courthouse first thing after work tomorrow," he mumbled, kissing her stomach softly.

"Courthouse? Why not a real wedding?"

Cosmo broke away from her stomach to look at her. "I don't want to wait, Elizabeth. I want to marry you now. And besides, I don't want publicity. Don can still be my best man and Kathy can still be your maid of honor."

"I've always wanted a real wedding, Cosmo."

"A wedding is a wedding. We'll still be married, right?" Cosmo saw the hurt in Elizabeth's eyes and took her face in his hands. "I promise, when we renew our vows, I'll give you a real wedding," he said quietly, his eyes big and sky blue. "I promise. But for right now, this is all we can do, and all we can afford. I do love you. Never forget that."

She smiled and he kissed her tenderly.

"Oh, by the way..." she began while he kissed her neck. "While you were at work Kathy called here and told me my mother called. She wants to meet you so we're going to my parents' house for Easter."

Cosmo looked at her, his eyes bright and gleaming. "We're going to New York?"

Elizabeth nodded excitedly. He kissed her happily and they made love as a slight rain began to fall outside.


	14. Wedding Bells

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cosmo and Elizabeth get married!!! :D

"Donald! Get in here! They're coming!"

"But the streamer is loose! I gotta put it back up!"

"DONALD!"

"Kathy, shhhhh!" Zelda hissed.

"Donald James Lockwood, if you do not get in this room and hide I will never speak to you again."

Silence was the reply as Don joined the rest of the gang in the dark conference room.

 

Cosmo and Elizabeth skipped merrily down the hallway towards the conference room, hand in hand and giggling. They got to the conference room and before Elizabeth could open the door, Cosmo pulled her into his arms and kissed her deeply. Elizabeth gave up trying to break free of his hold and leaned him against the door, pawing at his blood-red shirt. Cosmo kissed her face then moved down to her neck, kissing it slowly.

"Honey..." Elizabeth groaned. "Don't you think this should wait till our wedding night?"

"It's our wedding day, honey!"

"R.F. is waiting for you."

"Make him wait longer." Cosmo's husky voice diminished Elizabeth's resolve to almost nothing as he slid his hands slowly up her legs to feel her panties and rub them, making her moan.

"Let's go find our table," Cosmo whispered in her ear, his tongue flicking her earlobe.

"No!" Elizabeth said quietly but forcefully, moving his hands away from her mound, where they had traveled.

"What's the matter? You don't like me anymore?"

"No, I love you, but..." she fixed him with hard brown eyes. "Your boss wants to see you!"

Cosmo laughed. "I don't know how he thinks I broke that damn table. I don't even know kah-rah-tay! Well...some, but not a lot. And besides, that thing's been on the verge of breaking for at least a year now. And furthermore, Don's the one that breaks everything, not me. I wouldn't be surprised if this is his covering up something he did."

Elizabeth hummed. "You're a saint."

"And you're an angel. My angel." They embraced. Cosmo kissed her again and took her hand. He opened the door and...

"SURPRISE! CONGRATULATIONS!"

The lights came on and cheering erupted. Cosmo blushed and kissed Elizabeth on the forehead. They made their way through the crowd, shaking hands with their friends and co-workers and uttering many "thank-you's" and laughing heartily. They sat down at the long brown table. Joe cracked open a bottle of champagne and poured everyone a glass. After a few glasses, a rousing chorus of "SPEECH! SPEECH! SPEECH! SPEECH!" emerged, and Cosmo was forced to go up to the head of the table and address his co-workers.

"Well, I don't know what to say, to be honest!" everyone laughed. "Well, thank you. Thank you very much. Elizabeth and I are going to be very happy, and we couldn't have asked for better support and friendship. Our welcome mat will always be open. Always. It's the least we can do for such wonderful people."

Everyone clapped as R.F. stood up. "Now," he began. "Don told us that you two were planning to be married this afternoon at the courthouse."

"Yes, that's correct." Cosmo nodded.

"Well, that's not happening anymore."

"What? Why not?"

"Because you're getting married right here at Monumental Pictures."

Cosmo's and Elizabeth's eyes widened. "R.F..." Cosmo stood up and the two men shook hands. "You don't HAVE to do that, you know."

"Oh, but we want to! Anything for our best pianist and his bride! Now, go get ready!"

"Ready?"

"You'll see..."

Cosmo and Elizabeth looked at each other with confusion as Don and Kathy hurried them off to their separate dressing rooms.

 

Three hours later, Cosmo stood against a brilliant landscape that was featured in The Dancing Cavalier; a magnificent archway surrounded by flowers. Cosmo wore a black tuxedo with a white boutonniere. His black shoes were polished and they shone brilliantly. R.F. had even hired an actual priest to perform the service.

The organ began to play and Cosmo smiled proudly when he saw his bride. Her long white dress flowed behind her and her veil only made her face more beautiful to him. I wasn't kidding, he thought. I really am the luckiest guy in the world.

Elizabeth approached the priest and took Cosmo's hand. They smiled at each other and listened to the priest as he addressed them.

“Cosmo Brown, do you take Elizabeth Shores to be your lawfully wedded wife? Do you promise to love, honor and protect her in sickness and in health as long as you both shall live?"

Cosmo looked at his bride, his blue eyes shining. "You bet I do." Everyone laughed quietly.

“Elizabeth Shores, do you take Cosmo Brown to be your lawfully wedded husband? Do you promise to love, honor and protect him in sickness and health as long as you both shall live?"

Tears fell from Elizabeth's eyes as she looked at who would be her husband in about a minute. "I do," she responded tearfully.

“Please exchange rings as a symbol of your marriage."

R.F. came forward and placed the ring that Cosmo had given Elizabeth in his hand and the gold wedding band that Elizabeth had been wearing on her ring finger into hers. Cosmo smiled at her as he placed the ring on her finger. He felt like crying right then and there; the beautiful diamond looked so perfect on her, like it was made for her. Elizabeth slid the gold band onto his finger. The band made Cosmo's hand look even more ragged and calloused than usual, but it was absolutely perfect.

“By the powers invested in me by the state of California, I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss your bride.”

Cosmo picked Elizabeth up and kissed her and the congregation clapped. Don put his fingers in his mouth and whistled loudly.

They had the reception in one of the soundstages. R.F. and Don had pitched in and bought a large white cake, which Cosmo and Elizabeth cut to applause. After Cosmo fed Elizabeth the first piece, they kissed a deep, sensual kiss which gained wolf-whistles from the entire room.

After dinner, R.F. signaled to Joe, who was operating the phonograph, and Ralph Vaughan Williams' "Rhosymedre" began to play. Cosmo offered Elizabeth his hand and led her to the center of the soundstage, which was a makeshift dance floor. They swayed gracefully, Elizabeth's chin resting on her husband's shoulder.

"Today was pretty successful," Cosmo murmured into her hair as they danced.

"It was very successful." She closed her eyes and half-smiled.

Soon, Don and Kathy joined in, and so did the rest of the Monumental staff. At one point during the dance, Cosmo kissed his new wife, his tongue lightly gliding between hers.

"You ready to go find that table?" he whispered in her ear.

Elizabeth laughed. "Cosmo, we've just been married. Don't you think we should go about sex the proper way now?"

Cosmo rolled his eyes. "Okay, well if you wanna be an old maid, sure."

She laughed with him and slapped him playfully. Grabbing her hand, they made their way to R.F. and excused themselves. They hurried out to the parking lot and into Cosmo's car, where they began to kiss wildly.

"So whaddaya think?" Cosmo asked between kisses.

Elizabeth grabbed his arms. "Oh my God, I'm Mrs. Brown now!"

Cosmo laughed and they continued to neck in his car passionately. She took off his suit as he moved his hands up and down her back.

"Let's go back to mine and make this thing official, huh?" he breathed against her lips. Elizabeth nodded briskly and Cosmo started up the engine. She played with his ear with her tongue as he drove. Luckily, Don and Cosmo's apartment was only a short drive away from Monumental.

They fell onto the front seat of his car, kissing wildly. Cosmo trailed his lips down his wife's luscious body. Now that they were married, she was just that much more pleasing to him. His mouth reached her legs and he ran his hands up them to feel her panties, just like he had earlier that day. Elizabeth was seeing stars. Now that she was completely his, now that he owned her, she felt she could give herself fully to him. No more cheating. No more lies. From now on, it was just the two of them, together forever.

Cosmo scrambled off of Elizabeth and out of the car. He opened her door and pulled her into his arms. They kissed intensely all the way up to Don and Cosmo's apartment, their tongues driving each other wild. They entered the apartment and Cosmo leaned her on the card table before she could protest. He climbed on after her and she pulled his lips to hers and kissed him vehemently.

"How many children should we have?" she gasped in-between kisses.

"Oh honey," Cosmo groaned as he kissed her neck. "on our wedding night? Really?" She laughed as he cradled her in his arms and led her to his room and laid her on the bed. He looked down at her and loosened his tie, unbuttoned his shirt and his pants and took off his boxers. He slowly lifted her dress over her head and kissed her tenderly. Moving his hands down her back, he unsnapped her bra and garter and took off her stockings and panties.

"I love you so much, baby," Cosmo murmured. He wrapped his arms more tightly around her slight body as the kisses grew deeper. He moved them up towards the pillows as he eased into her. Elizabeth's eyes fluttered shut as her husband's usual low body temperature surrounded her. Cosmo groaned as he kissed her again, her warmth enveloping him. He thrust in and out easily, taking his time to make sure they started off their marriage the right way.

He leaned down to kiss her lips again when she stopped him. "Wait. Stop," she said quietly.

"What's the matter, babe?"

She smiled and curled her lips. "I forgot I had a surprise for you." She got up and went in the bathroom. After a few minutes she came back.

"I thought I would wear something special for our wedding night," she cooed. Cosmo's eyes opened and he liked what he saw. She wore a white silk gown whose straps were so thin that Cosmo could see her luscious shoulders. He could see her breasts and mound through the thin fabric. He beckoned her to come to bed with him and he buried his lips into her shoulders. He threaded his fingers through the straps and eased them down slowly. He took off the gown slowly and thrust into her again. The look on her face as she lay on top of him was beyond anything he had ever experienced before with her. She threw her head back and rocked her hips against him and bent her head back down to kiss him in her sexy way. He thrust in deeper and she felt her climax rumbling through her. He flipped himself on top of her and lifted her hands over her head and raised her hips to meet his. Elizabeth was glad she had married him; no man had ever made her feel like Cosmo did. He just kept taking her higher and higher. He suckled her breasts and she cried out as she climaxed. He fell back onto the bed as she climbed on top of him.

"Oh, dear husband? You may own me now, but don't you DARE think you can control me, especially in bed."

She giggled deliciously with him as she kissed him with soft, velvety kisses. She rocked her hips as he filled her again. She drove her hands down his chest and kissed him wildly. She reached his length and stroked it, licking his lips and smiling as she listened to his soft moans. After a while he could take no more of her delicious strokes and climaxed, crushing her into his body. They slept like that, Cosmo stroking her back and kissing her ear softly, both of them satisfied that their marriage was consummated.


	15. New York, New York

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cosmo and Elizabeth head to New York! But will Cosmo gain the acceptance of Elizabeth’s parents?

Elizabeth woke up and smiled a content half-smile. My first morning as a wife, she thought, looking out at the early morning sun. She rolled over to look at her husband's peaceful, sleeping face. Cosmo had woken her what felt like a million times during the night to make love again, as he had done on their first night together. There was something different about this time, though. On their first night together, he had been almost forceful; his separation from her at the party that was now so many moons ago had driven him mad with desire. Last night, however, he was slow and tender, each movement showing her how much she meant to him and how overjoyed he was that she was finally his wife. 

Elizabeth looked at Cosmo, still asleep, apparently not noticing that she was looking at him as he slept (Cosmo was a very heavy sleeper), and remembered that night at the party when she had first met him. She'd never dreamed in a million years that the short, skinny, boyish redhead with the cheesy pick-up lines who spent his time playing second fiddle to one of the greatest actors in Hollywood would someday become her husband. 

Elizabeth stared at Cosmo's handsome face for a short while longer, then drifted off to sleep. A few minutes later, she felt her husband's weight on her as he buried his face in her neck. Elizabeth rubbed her hands on his back and his body. Cosmo just seemed to get more gorgeous day in and day out. She slid her hand up his arm as he caressed hers sleepily. The muscles on his arms and chest were more pronounced and he felt bigger and heavier on her. But most of all, he felt warmer; thanks to the bigger muscles, his skin was no longer ice-cold in the mornings. Elizabeth loved to smell that drowsy morning smell as it radiated onto her body from his. She loved that smell from anyone, but it smelled tantalizing coming from Cosmo.

Cosmo's hand moved in mock sleepiness over her shoulder and over her breast, smoothing it over with his palm. Elizabeth did not become aroused; they had things to do. She pressed her nose against his ear and kissed the tender portion softly.

"Husband?"

"Yes, wife?"

"We have to catch the 10:15 to New York, remember?"

Cosmo groaned and slowly slid off of her. He pulled on a pair of jeans.

"But..." Elizabeth began. Cosmo turned to look at her stretched out on the bed. "I think we have time for just one more." 

They both smiled mischievously as Cosmo descended upon her.

 

"Got your gum?"

"Yeah."

"And your barf bag?"

"Yeah."

"How do you feel?"

"Scared as hell."

Cosmo and Elizabeth were on the plane at LAX, heading to New York to see Elizabeth's parents for Easter. Cosmo was gripping Elizabeth's arm with one hand and the seat with the other so tightly his knuckles were white; he hated flying with a passion. Just one glance out the window when the plane was airborne on its side would have him puking his guts out. 

The plane taxied down the runway and Cosmo closed his eyes and took shallow breaths as Elizabeth stroked his arm. The plane stopped and Cosmo smiled with relief.

"Hey, Elizabeth, you were right! This isn't so bad after all!" he chuckled nervously. "I mean, there's nothing to be afraid of!"

Elizabeth interrupted her husband's gloating with a tap on the shoulder. "Honey...we haven't left the ground yet."

Cosmo's eyes widened in terror as the plane traveled at breakneck speed down the runway.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!"

Elizabeth clamped her hand over Cosmo's mouth, smiling nervously at the other people on the flight, who were staring at them with a mixture of interest and bewilderment. All of a sudden, an idea popped into Elizabeth's head. Grinning slyly, she removed her hand from Cosmo's mouth. Cosmo began screaming again until Elizabeth pressed her lips softly to his as the plane lifted into the air. The tense nerves in his body relaxed and he gave himself to her. Her fingers trailed slowly down his scarlet sweater-vest and down to his seatbelt. She unbuckled it. Cosmo didn't protest; rather, he moved the buckle out of the way, allowing her access to his lower body. She toyed with his belt buckle and ran her index finger along the zipper of his beige pants, feeling how hard he was getting.

"You're cute when you're scared." Elizabeth curled her lips in that delicious way that Cosmo loved.

"Well, maybe you should scare me more often."

Elizabeth hummed and kissed him again. "Well, what scares you?"

"Flying and spiders."

Elizabeth hummed again, unbuckled her seatbelt and climbed onto Cosmo's lap, kissing him. "When we get to my parents' place I'll look for my brother's box of spiders that he used to keep under his bed."

"That sounds erotic. It also sounds like bestiality."

Elizabeth laughed and pulled him into the lavatory. She swirled her tongue around inside his mouth as she kissed him passionately, taking off his sweater-vest and unbuttoning his white shirt. She undid his belt and he leaned her against the sink, kissing her and running his hands down her body and over her breasts, making her shiver. She pushed him against the wall and pulled off his shirt. He quickly unbuttoned her blouse and forcefully pulled the straps of her bra down. He began to fumble with the zipper on her skirt when she stopped him and placed his arms around her neck. He was still kissing her as they helped each other put their clothes back on. 

Elizabeth led Cosmo back to their seats, where Cosmo immediately fell asleep for the rest of the flight.

 

Cosmo was jolted awake by the impact of the plane on the runway. He gripped onto Elizabeth's arm tightly and buried his face in her shoulder and whimpered, not wanting to look out the window as the plane zoomed down the runway towards the gate. Elizabeth rolled her eyes and patted his shoulder. Cosmo could be such a child sometimes. The plane slowed down as it reached the gate and Cosmo exhaled with relief, his face drenched with sweat. The plane came to a halt at the gate and Cosmo and Elizabeth made their way off the plane. They retrieved their luggage and wandered out into the parking lot, where Elizabeth's brother was to meet them. Cosmo had his jacket on, but took it off. The New York City weather was very nice in spring; the sun was shining and not a cloud was in the sky. 

"So where exactly are you from?" Cosmo asked Elizabeth while they waited.

"Brooklyn!" she replied with a smile.

"Oh, great..." Cosmo mumbled.

"What?"

"That's where all the dagos live."

Elizabeth stared at him. "You don't like Italians?"

"No, I do not." Cosmo stared straight ahead.

"Why not?"

"Mob."

"My family's not in the mob."

"I'm sure."

"Why'd you marry me if you don't like Italians?"

"I love you."

"I slept with a gangster."

"I forgave you."

"You're screwed up."

"I like dago women. I don't like dago men."

"Oh. Well, I guess that's okay because my father hates everyone. And stop calling them dagos, please."

"Thanks for destroying my hopes."

Elizabeth laughed. "Just letting you know."

"Mhm."

Finally, a black Ford pulled up to the waiting couple. A tall, dark-haired Italian man in a double-breasted black suit and tie and a black fedora burst out. He wore a huge smile on his face as he rushed to gather his sister in his big arms.

"Hey, little sis!" he yelled.

"David!"

The siblings embraced as Cosmo looked on, smiling. Elizabeth broke the embrace, turning towards Cosmo. 

"Oh, David, this is my husband, Cosmo Brown! Cosmo, this is my brother, David!"

David looked Cosmo up and down. "Husband? Sis, you didn't tell me!"

Elizabeth laughed. "We were married a couple of days ago, David. I didn't have time to tell you!"

David laughed too. "Well, I'll be!" He shook Cosmo's hand emphatically. "Welcome to the family, Cosmo!"

"It's a pleasure!"

David grabbed their luggage and put it in the car and the three scrambled in and David began driving.

"You ever been to our fair city, Cosmo?" he asked in his loud voice as he drove.

"Never."

"Never? Where you from?"

"Pittsburgh."

"Hmph. No excuse then. You're a state below us, ya shoulda come up!"

"We're on opposite sides of the state, pal," Cosmo muttered, his views about Italians having been confirmed.

"So, David, are you and Darlene coming over for Easter?" Elizabeth broke up the tension between the two men.

"We sure are, sis!" David chucked Elizabeth on the chin. "And Cosmo, you'll be happy to know that your family's coming up Saturday night too!"

Cosmo looked at David, stunned. "Oh. Wonderful."

"What's wrong, darling?" Elizabeth asked quietly. "I can't wait to meet your family!"

"And I can't wait to meet yours, but if we get Irish and Italian together, don't you think your house will be destroyed by Sunday night?"

Elizabeth laughed. "Oh, come on, Cosmo, I'm sure your family can't be that bad!"

"Elizabeth, Pop fights. And he fights hard. I got it from him."

"Along with the Italians?"

"Along with the Italians."

Elizabeth looked at her lap, scared. 

"Hey." Cosmo put two fingers on her chin and raised her face to look at him. "I'll keep everything under control. I can't say I promise you that, but I will do my best." Elizabeth smiled as he pecked her lightly on the lips.

"Thank you. It's nice to have a husband who cares about what I want at least once in a while." Cosmo laughed and put his arm around her.

The car pulled up in front of a square yellow house on 12th Street. The car unloaded and David pulled out the couple's luggage. 

"Well, I'll see you Sunday!" David waved goodbye and went to get back in the car.

"You're not coming in, David?" Elizabeth asked, slightly disappointed.

"Nah, I got my own family to attend to! Besides, I'm sure you two will want some time alone after that long flight."

"Alone?"

"Sure! Mom and Dad won't be back till at least nine tonight, and it's five now." He wiggled his eyebrows. "Well, see you Sunday!" David got in the car and sped off down the street. Elizabeth watched the car until it disappeared and she and Cosmo went inside the house. They set their bags down by the door.

"Well," Elizabeth said cheerfully. "This is where I grew up!"

Cosmo looked around and nodded. The house was ancient, and smelled like it, too. The walls in the sitting room were a pale off-white, the kitchen the same soft yellow as the outside paneling. 

"Come on!" Elizabeth grabbed Cosmo's hand. "I'll show you around!" She led him down a small step into the dining room. "This is where we'll be eating on Sunday!" 

The walls were a cheery light pink and complimented the dark wooden table perfectly. Purple candles, symbolizing the Easter season, stood on the table, along with a beautiful arrangement of light purple and white lilacs. 

"It's nice," Cosmo mused.

"Come on!" Elizabeth whisked him out of the room so fast he almost tripped on the step. She pulled him upstairs.

"That's my parents' room." She indicated the master bedroom. For some reason, Cosmo felt his arousal become evident. He looked at the master bedroom, the bed covered in soft, downy fur and the fireplace, then he looked at his wife, looking quite beautiful in her light pink summer dress, her small gold circular earrings dangling from her ears, enchanting him. She wandered away from him and down the hallway.

"And this is my room! Cosmo?" she walked back to him. "Are you all right?"

Cosmo smiled a half-smile at Elizabeth and put his arm around her. His blue eyes were glinting, telling her that his head was full of ideas. He kissed her hair and mumbled into it,

"When did David say your folks would be back?"

"Not till nine tonight."

They looked at each other mischievously. Elizabeth grabbed Cosmo's sweater-vest and pulled it off as she pushed him inside, kissing him voraciously. She threw him on the bed and he watched her in awe as she slowly took off her dress, revealing her bra and panties. He watched her gorgeous ass sway from side to side as she closed the windows and kindled a fire. She walked seductively over to him, lifting her bra over her head as she walked. She climbed onto him, graceful as a cat, and kissed him sensually, her tongue playing with every part of his mouth. In one fluid motion, she unbuttoned his white shirt, unbuckled his belt, and unzipped his pants. They made love passionately in the great bed. Cosmo covered them with the fur and took off her panties and his boxers and threw them on the floor. He groaned happily when he went inside her. He'd been wanting to feel her warmth around him ever since she made love to him on the plane. 

The newlyweds lost track of time and jumped off of each other when they heard voices downstairs. They looked at each other, panicking. Cosmo jumped out of bed, got dressed and extinguished the fire while Elizabeth got out of bed, got dressed and made the bed, exactly like her parents made it so they wouldn't suspect a thing. They groomed each other one last time to make sure they were presentable and went downstairs.

"Mom! Daddy!" Elizabeth ran over to kiss and hug her father, a dark, heavy-set Italian with balding black hair. Next she kissed and hugged her mother, a tall, auburn-haired woman with thin glasses.

"And who is this handsome young man?" Elizabeth's mother asked, smiling sweetly at Cosmo. Elizabeth beamed and put her arms around her husband's neck.

"Mom, Daddy, I wanted to call you and tell you, but everything happened so fast I didn't have time! Mommy, Daddy, this is my husband, Cosmo Brown!" she announced triumphantly.

Elizabeth's father looked as if he'd been magically turned into a statue. Elizabeth's mother, however, clapped her hand over her mouth and squealed. She rushed over to her daughter and hugged and kissed her. 

"Oh, honey! That's wonderful! Congratulations!" She moved over to Cosmo and gave him a gigantic bear hug. Cosmo gasped for air; his face was in-between his mother-in-law's bosoms. Finally she let go of him and planted a wet kiss on his cheek. 

"I'm sure your father is very happy for you too. Aren't you, Harry?"

"Overjoyed." Harry answered nonchalantly. His dark blue eyes shot to Cosmo's. "Boy, are you Irish?"

Cosmo kept his voice level and his confidence high. "Yes, sir."

"Hmph," Harry grunted. "At least he has good manners."

He got up and left the room. 

"Oh, don't worry about him," Elizabeth's mother reassured them. "He's just a little shy." All three of them smiled nervously. The rest of Thursday night was spent with wine and friendly conversation. Cosmo was grilled constantly about his background. Elizabeth's parents were especially interested in his job at Monumental, which he was more than happy to talk about.

After Elizabeth and her mother decided to retire, the tension grew thick. Cosmo and Harry sat idly in the sitting room, fiddling with their wine glasses, Cosmo sipping at his nervously. Finally, Harry broke the silence.

"Listen, Carlo..."

"It's Cosmo."

"Right. I hope you realize I still don't fully like you."

"I understand." Cosmo was going to say "I still don't fully like you either," but he bit his tongue to stop himself.

"And I will not hesitate to murder you if you mistreat my daughter."

"That won't happen, but I understand."

"You love her, huh?"

"With all my heart."

Harry looked at him genially. "Say, why don't you take the day to go and explore New York tomorrow? It's a great city, ya know, and David tells me you've never been here before."

"I was planning on doing that."

Harry nodded and stood up. "You're a good kid, Brown. I like you."

Cosmo exhaled with relief. He waited till he heard the door to the master bedroom close, then got up himself.

Elizabeth was asleep when he reached her room. He took his shirt off, unbuckled his belt and unzipped his pants and climbed into bed in his boxers. He snuggled up against Elizabeth's back. He wanted to talk with her a bit and rubbed the silk of her slip and kissed her bare back. Her hand stroked his, letting him know she was awake.

"Your room is pink," he mumbled into her back. "I hate pink."

Elizabeth smiled. "Do your in-laws like you?"

"I had an interesting conversation with your father just now."

"Oh, really? What'd he say?"

"He likes me."

She turned to face him, smiling. "That's good." Her chocolate-brown eyes were warm. Cosmo couldn't help but smile a bit despite his insecurities; her eyes gave him strength, another reason why he loved her so much.

"He doesn't trust me."

"How do you know?" her smile faded and she stroked his arm.

"Something tells me he doesn't. He doesn't trust me to treat you right."

"Well, that's just my dad beingui my dad. He's been paranoid about every guy I've ever gone out with. As long as you know you treat me right, you've got nothing to worry about." 

"Thanks for the game tip, Coach. I'll be sure to remember that in the second half."

Elizabeth laughed. Cosmo smiled and leaned in to kiss her tenderly, his hands slowly pulling down the straps of her slip. 

"I love you, Elizabeth," he murmured against her lips, lifting her slip over her head. "And I'm always gonna treat you right, baby."

Elizabeth knew as she caressed his gorgeous body that there was no one she would ever have more faith in.

 

The next day, Friday, was an interesting day for Cosmo. Elizabeth was off running errands with her parents, so he had the entire day to himself. He decided to take Harry's advice and see New York. Harry was right; it really was a lovely town. He rode the Staten Island Ferry, took a ride over to Ellis Island and immersed himself in the lights of Broadway. He watched a bit of the Dodgers and Yankees game through the fence of Ebbets Field. He walked through Times Square, snapping pictures of everything he saw. He was having so much fun he didn't realize it was already six o'clock. He decided to get something to eat in a pub he saw on the Lower East Side. He finished his dinner at seven and took a cab home. 

"So, how do you like New York?" Elizabeth asked him as they lay in bed that night, stroking his sleeping face. She had wanted to make love, having not seen him all day, but Cosmo was too tired; he had had a long day of walking and exploring.

"I liked it, but the people weren't very nice. They kept pushing me."

Elizabeth laughed. "Yeah, we don't like out-of-towners too much."

"I'd like to see how tough they can be in Pittsburgh. Don and I would beat the shit out of their dag--" he cleared his throat. "Asses."

"Sure you would, honey."

"What's the matter? Don't you think I'm tough? Huh?" He rolled onto her and started tickling her. Elizabeth laughed with excitement. 

"I guess we're making love after all." She looked up at his blue eyes that melted into her.

"You said it, baby." And he leaned down to kiss her tenderly.


	16. Easter Parade

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Easter arrives, and Cosmo and Elizabeth encounter family drama.

Saturday was an eventful day for Cosmo and Elizabeth. Elizabeth's parents still had some final errands to run, so they were left to finish cleaning the house. Cosmo's family would arrive that night, and they had a lot of cleaning to do. Not surprisingly, Cosmo was more interested in having his wife alone again in her house, so they occasionally took cleaning breaks to make love wildly. Eventually, around five o'clock, they finished the cleaning and sat down on the couch. Cosmo looked his wife up and down hungrily.

"No," Elizabeth said sternly.

"Why not?" Cosmo cried.

"Cosmo, we've done it five times already today!"

"And you liked it every time." Cosmo leaned forward to nuzzle Elizabeth's neck. Elizabeth remained cool.

"Your family will be here in three hours," she said matter-of-factly.

"Key words are 'three hours,' baby." Cosmo laid her gently back onto the couch and planted hot kisses on her neck. His lips moved up to hers and she gave in and let him lower the straps of her dress as they kissed sexily. Their kissing was interrupted by the sound of a car pulling into the driveway. Elizabeth pushed Cosmo off of her and went to go prepare dinner, pulling up the straps of her dress. The door burst open and Elizabeth's parents came in, followed by...

"Ma! Pop!" 

Cosmo burst through Elizabeth's parents to hug his mother, a gray-haired, portly old woman, and shake hands emphatically with his father. Looking at Cosmo's father, Elizabeth couldn't help but notice how much the two men looked alike. They had the same red hair, though the elder Brown's red hair was balding, and he wore glasses. They had the same smile, dimples and crystal-blue eyes. 

"Little man!" bellowed a tall, bearded man from behind Cosmo's parents.

"Pete!" Cosmo rushed to give his brother a hug. Pete smiled.

"What's this about you being married, little man?"

Cosmo beamed and went to go stand by his wife. "Pete, Ma, Pop, this is my wife, Elizabeth. Elizabeth, this is my brother, Peter, and my parents, Phillip and Emma."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Peter. And you too, Mr. and Mrs. Brown!" Elizabeth smiled politely and nodded at each of them.

"The pleasure is all mine!" Peter smiled genially as Mr. and Mrs. Brown smiled and nodded.

The two families stood there, exchanging pleasant conversation, when all of sudden a child's voice came from outside.

"Aw, Ma! Pop! Why do I gotta bring up this big ol' suitcase? Jesus, I'm the one that has to do everything 'round here!"

"James Patrick Brown!" Mrs. Brown scolded. "what did your mother tell you about swearing? And at your new sister-in-law's parents' household! I taught you better manners than that. I KNOW I did. Why, you're lucky your father can't hear you right now, or else he'd--"

"Jamie!" Cosmo yelled over his mother's ramblings and rushed to go hug the boy. The crowd parted and Cosmo broke his embrace, and Elizabeth saw a young boy of about fourteen dragging a large and heavy-looking gray suitcase. Elizabeth couldn't help but think that the boy resembled Don in a way, with his black Irish hair and dark-looking face.

"Elizabeth!" Cosmo called, putting his arm around the boy and making his way back towards the house. He had taken the suitcase from the boy's hand. "this is my kid brother, Jamie! Jamie, this is your new sister-in-law, Elizabeth!"

"Hi, Jamie!" Elizabeth beamed politely. "it's a pleasure to meet you!"

Jamie did not return the smile; just stared at Elizabeth with dark brown eyes and a hell of a lot of contempt. He broke free of his older brother's embrace and ran into the dining room. Elizabeth's smile faded.

"Did I do something wrong?" she asked timidly.

"Not at all, dearie," Mrs. Brown smiled politely. "James is just a little shy around strangers, that's all."

"The boy is a juvenile delinquent," Mr. Brown growled. "I have half a mind to send him to military school!"

"Pop, he just hangs around the wrong crowd, that's all. I did the same thing when I was his age," Cosmo reasoned. Elizabeth's heart skipped a beat; her husband was a mature adult after all.

"Yes, but you didn't do any bootlegging favors."

Cosmo raised his voice an octave higher. "Pop, he's fourteen, not thirty! You can't expect him to be the next Coolidge!"

"I wouldn't vote for him, anyway," Mr. Brown muttered.

"Oh, Phillip! What a terrible thing to say about your own son!" Mrs. Brown interjected.

While his parents argued, Cosmo nodded at his wife, who joined her mother in the kitchen preparing dinner and ignoring the two bickering Irish. Cosmo ventured into the dining room and found Jamie standing in the far corner of the room, his face to the wall, dressed in a brown suit and pageboy hat.

"Hey buddy," Cosmo said quietly.

"How'd you bag that dame, Cos?"

"Jamie, where are you learning this from? You know Ma doesn't like it."

Jamie turned around, yelling, "Ma don't like anything I do! She wants me to be perfect, like you and Pete!"

Cosmo laughed. "Jamie, believe me, Pete and I are the farthest thing from perfect."

"Well, Ma seems to think that playing piano for some two-bit movie studio is the best job in the world!"

"Hey, that's no way to talk about Monumental!"

"Does Don still work there?"

"Sure does!" Cosmo's face lit up; he loved talking about his best friend.

"And Kathy?"

"Yup!"

"They married?"

"Not yet."

"Oh." Jamie looked down.

"How are your piano lessons coming?"

"I don't play piano anymore."

"Why not?"

"Don't like it."

"Don't you want to be good at something, Jamie?"

"I am good at something. I'm good at running booze."

"That's not what Ma wants for you. You know that."

"Why can't I have what I want?"

"Well, you can, but..." Cosmo was at a loss for words; Jamie was right. He squatted in front of the boy. "You--you need to have a balance!"

"What the fuck does that mean?"

Cosmo closed his eyes in disgust. "Jamie, don't you ever say that word again." He opened his eyes again. "Jamie, believe me, I've been there."

"You have?"

"Sure. I think every kid has. When Don and I were your age, we used to sneak booze into school every day. Heck, us and a few other guys set up a still in the gym once. But you know something? We grew up. And that's what'll happen to you."

"That's the best advice you can give me? 'Grow up'?"

"Would you rather Pop beat the stuffing out of you?"

Jamie looked down. "That's what I thought."

"Jamie!" Mrs. Brown's voice called from the sitting room. "David's daughter is here! Come meet her!"

"Go meet your new cousin!" Cosmo tapped Jamie on the back and the boy ran out to the sitting room. Cosmo took a deep breath.

"Am I ready to be a dad?" he asked himself. "absolutely not."

 

Later that night, while everyone else slept, Cosmo and Elizabeth were awake. Elizabeth sat on her bed, deep in thought, while Cosmo undressed. 

"Your family seems...nice," she mused.

Cosmo turned and sat down next to her, his tie loosened and his shirt unbuttoned, clad in only his boxers. "Honey, are you all right?"

Elizabeth sighed. "Oh, of course, I'm fine, it's just...I'm not really used to so much Irish under one roof." She looked at Cosmo and managed a weak smile. A faint chuckle rumbled within Cosmo and he pressed her forehead to his. They both closed their eyes.

"I'll be fine, darling," Elizabeth whispered. "just give me time, and I'll be fine."

Cosmo nodded and kissed her lightly, his tongue finding hers. They began to make out lightly, Cosmo planting slow, sexy kisses on his wife's lips. 

"What about Jamie?" Elizabeth whispered.

"I talked to him. He'll be fine." They resumed kissing as Elizabeth pulled his tie from around his neck and pushed his shirt over his shoulders to reveal his wifebeater. 

"Cosmo." 

"What is it, darling?" His voice was a low whisper that made her melt.

"Make love to me."

"I can't."

"Why not?"

"There are too many people."

Elizabeth chuckled. Cosmo lay his head down on the pillow. "And besides, you're not here."

"What do you mean?"

"I can't make love to a chick when she's thinking too much."

She lay down next to him and pulled off his wifebeater. He didn't stop her. She kissed his chest. "Am I thinking too much still?"

Cosmo grinned cheekily, playing along. "I'm not convinced."

Elizabeth saw the game he was playing and grinned just as cheekily. She kissed him just as sexily as he had kissed her, sneaking her fingers into the waistline of his boxers, sliding them down. She trailed one of her fingers along his length and smiled when his breath grew ragged against her lips.

"Convinced?" she whispered.

"Oh, honey..." he groaned, admitting his loss. "Oh, fuck you..."

She giggled as he rolled on top of her, sliding down the straps of her silver nightgown and kissing her shoulder. She occupied herself running her hands down his muscled back and arms. He pulled her nightgown down over her breasts, desire spreading over his face when they were revealed. He nuzzled and licked them, listening to her sighs that drove him crazy before taking the nipples lightly into his mouth. He licked them ever so lightly. Elizabeth's soft whimpers were making him harder than he ever had been before. He trailed his tongue and lips down her chest to her lower stomach, which he kissed lightly. Elizabeth tensed when she saw that he was moving lower. She tried to keep quiet, but his tantalizing movements were too much for her to bear. Her lustful sighs that came when he licked inside her made him as hard as the hardest rock on Earth. He kissed her very center and listened to her moan. Cosmo loved every second of their lovemaking. Every second that she moaned made him burst with pride to know that he was the one, the only one making her feel this way. HE was the only one that could give her this bliss.

Elizabeth flipped on top of him and moved her hands down his chest as she searched his eyes for his reaction. He nipped at her with his tongue, indicating that he wanted to kiss. Elizabeth understood and pressed her lips to his. She trailed her hands down his chest and looked lustfully at his stomach, the muscle lines looking so sexy and tantalizing to her when they gleamed with the sweat of sex. She loved to touch and lick them when they made love; she loved hearing his groans, each one getting a little louder when each line was touched. The way the lines heaved in and out in time with his breathing aroused her so much that she could do nothing but throw her head back and run her fingers over the lines. Elizabeth thought she was going to climax just by the feeling of the sexy muscle lines on her fingers, and Cosmo thought he was going to climax just by looking at the sheer look of pleasure on the face of the woman above him.

Finally, Elizabeth bent down and kissed his lower stomach ever so lightly, her tongue lightly grazing his skin. It aroused him so much; he closed his eyes, wishing time would stop and it would be just the two of them, lost in this moment of pure heaven forever with no interruptions, and that they could moan and scream as loud as they wanted and no one would hear them. She broke away from his stomach and looked at his member. She felt it; it was hard as a brick. She bent down and put it in her mouth. Cosmo felt like he was going to die of pleasure; it took every ounce of strength he had not to cry out and wake everyone up. 

Elizabeth released his member from her mouth and, smiling, trailed her lips up his body, stopping to tease his nipples, her tongue moving in slow, sexy, lazy circles. She lapped at them with her tongue before taking them into her mouth lightly. Cosmo couldn't take it anymore. He flipped her over and went inside her, kissing her passionately. He sat her up and ran his hands through her red-blonde hair. He kissed her neck hotly and she felt her climax building within her. He was in deeper than he ever had been. He lay her back on the soaking wet pillow and lifted her hands over her head. Her hands lay limp against the wall with his fingers threaded through them as he thrust harder and harder. Elizabeth wanted to cry out so loudly that the neighbors heard; the sensations and the feelings he was giving her were unlike any she had felt before. Cosmo grabbed her hair and kissed her on the lips, hard. Her hands still against the wall, he pounded into her, sucking on her breasts. Elizabeth wanted this to never end. She wanted to be addicted to him and addicted to his sex and addicted to this bed for the rest of her life. She didn't want to put clothes on anymore for as long as she lived; she wanted to be naked for him forever. Her body was a drug to him, and she was happy to be the source of his addiction. They were both addicted to each other, their bodies like the finest opium from China to one another. 

"Oh...yes..." her cries were ragged as as he whispered her name. "Oh, Cosmo...oh, God...yes...yes..."

The room was spinning. Elizabeth's head was pounding. Her eyes were in the back of her head. How everyone else wasn't awake and how they were doing this without screaming at the top of their lungs with all the sensations they were feeling was a miracle to her. Elizabeth made a note to herself that when they got back to California to find a place of their own so that the next time this happened, she could scream as loud as she wanted. Her eyes were in the back of her head, her conscience tempting her, imploring her to scream like she so yearned to.

All of a sudden, she felt his release course through her and she felt obliged to come for him. They exhaled deeply in unison and Cosmo fell off of her onto the side of her. 

"No one's up," he whispered, listening intently. "I am a genius."

"Oh, Cosmo..." she snuggled up next to him and kissed him lightly. "That was...oh, God..."

Cosmo chuckled, satisfied with her evaluation of his performance, and they made out lightly.

"Darling," she began. "when we get back to Hollywood, we need to get our own place. I want to do that again, and I want to scream for you. I don't like being silent when you make love to me. Everything you do just feels too good not to react."

Cosmo half-smiled and closed his eyes. "Me too, baby. I promise, when we get back, I'll look around."

She snuggled into his chest and they slept. 

Sunlight streamed through the windows, lighting up the walls so that they shone bright pink. Elizabeth stirred, still hungover from the sensations of the night before. 

"Darling," Elizabeth whispered, lightly kissing Cosmo's ear. He did not stir. She nuzzled his cheek. 

"Cosmo." she mumbled, pressing her forehead against his warm cheek. He moved slowly and sleepily, draping his arm across her body. 

"Darling, we have to go to church," she whispered. "Happy Easter."

Cosmo whispered a faint "yeah" and the couple got up and dressed in their Sunday best. When they went downstairs to meet their families, Elizabeth still carried a faint red glow on her neck and her lips were still swollen from Cosmo's intense kisses the night before. Jamie noticed this, and as they all piled into the car, he nudged Cosmo.

"So what? Did you give Elizabeth time last night?" the boy smiled shyly.

"Mind your own business, kid," Cosmo muttered out of the side of his mouth. 

 

What Cosmo didn't know was that while he and his wife were submerged in their intense passion, his father and Elizabeth's father had gotten into a bitter argument, as any traditional Irishman and Italian would. So, that afternoon at Easter Sunday dinner. what should have been a festive time and gathering of families was instead a silent affair. Everyone ate or picked at their food quietly. The only noise made was by the children; Jamie ripped off the head of a doll while his cousin Angela, a little girl of around seven, pleaded with him to stop and cried.

"JAMIE!" Mrs. Brown banged her fork on the ham dish. Jamie froze as he looked at his mother. He reluctantly gave the doll back to his cousin and the children went back to eating. 

"So Phil," Harry began. "you have a nice boy here." He indicated Cosmo.

"Thank you," Phil replied warily.

"I bet under that nice exterior is a stuck Irish pig."

Cosmo stood up abruptly, causing Elizabeth to grab onto his arm and pull him back down. Phil, however, remained calm.

"If you use that phrase to describe my son again, I will use this fork to gouge your eyes out."

"Daddy, please listen to him!" Elizabeth pleaded quietly.

"I mean," Harry continued, ignoring his daughter's pleas. "a man can't help it if he's so stupid all he can do is harvest potatoes!"

Cosmo wanted to throw his wine into Harry's face and punch his lights out, but he sighed and realized that he wasn't worth it. Phil stood up, hatred burning in his black eyes.

"Pop, let it go," Cosmo commanded.

"I told you that if you ever talked about my son like that, you dago piece of..."

"POP, SIT DOWN!" Cosmo banged his fist on the table. Every eye turned to him.

"Ma, Pop," he addressed his parents before turning to Elizabeth's parents. "Mom, Dad, Elizabeth and I are married, and we are in love. For our sake, please get along. Stop with the names. Stop with the anger. Just get along and be happy that we're married. Please."

Phil and Harry did not make any more comments against each other for the rest of the night.

 

Later that night, after the Easter festivities had concluded, Cosmo undressed while Elizabeth lay in bed, her back to him. She felt his body next to hers and felt him turn on his side, away from her. She felt hurt; why was he acting so cold towards her? She turned to face his back.

"Are you mad at me?"

"Go to sleep, Elizabeth."

"Are you mad at me?"

"Go to sleep, Elizabeth. We have to get up early tomorrow to get back to California."

"Why are you mad at me?"

"You can't control your father."

"You can't control yours."

"I controlled mine perfectly."

"I told him to stop."

"Once."

Elizabeth tried to offer a retort, but he was right. "Look at me, Cosmo. I'm short and skinny and my dad is at least two hundred pounds. There was no way I could have stopped him."

"You need to learn to stand up for yourself, Elizabeth. Good night."

Elizabeth sighed and flipped over. "Good night."


	17. The Finale

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The end!! Thanks to everyone who followed along!!! :-)

On the plane ride home to California, Cosmo and Elizabeth did not speak to each other. The tension between them grew even thicker when they settled back into their daily routine. They moved out of Don and Cosmo's apartment and moved into a cozy little place on Lindacrest Drive. Elizabeth thought things would change once they moved in, but they didn't. They barely made love, and when they did, there was no emotion, just cold sex, as if they thought they could fuck each other into loving each other again. Elizabeth would sit at the kitchen table every night after dinner and watch Cosmo warily as he washed the dishes, never once looking at her. Once he was done, he would dry his hands, grab the paper, sit on the couch and light a cigarette and read, paying no attention to her at all. 

Every day was the same; they would go to work together, not speaking a word to each other. When they were at work, they often walked past one another, but neither spoke, causing the rest of the Monumental staff to stare and gossip. Only Don and Kathy knew what was going on, and that was only because Elizabeth had told Kathy and Cosmo had told Don; they didn't dare tell R.F. or Roscoe.

One night at Monumental, Elizabeth was just getting done filming for the day. Normally, Cosmo would meet her and they would walk to his car together and go home, but once she got off the set, he was nowhere to be found. 

"Asshole," she mumbled. She went to her dressing room, got into her street clothes and went to the bus stop at Sunset and Bedford. The bus stopped at Sunset and Alpine and Elizabeth got off and walked the half hour back to her new home, all the while mumbling, "I'm going to kill him."

She finally reached home and, after seeing Cosmo's yellow car in the driveway, burst through the front door in a rage only to find the entire house shrouded in darkness. Candles were lit in the kitchen. 

"Hey," came a quiet murmur from the sitting room. Elizabeth turned to face Cosmo, her face full of rage, but softening when she saw her husband reclining on the floor of the sitting room, one eyebrow raised and holding up a wine glass filled with champagne. He reclined behind two candles that illuminated his red Irish good looks. Her lips breaking into a smile, she joined him, sitting Indian-style next to him. He sat up and scooted over to her and pressed his nose to hers as they both closed their eyes, relishing the fact that they were finally close to one another again. 

"I'm sorry," he whispered, his sweet alcohol-tinted breath whispering faintly onto her lips. 

"I'm sorry, too." Cosmo tentatively joined his lips to Elizabeth's as their tongues met in a tender kiss. Cosmo broke the kiss and held up his glass of champagne. Elizabeth followed suit.

"To our marriage," Cosmo toasted. "I promise it'll be a good one from tonight forward."

Elizabeth smiled. Their glasses clinked together and they drank the champagne. Cosmo poured her more.

"You sure are quite the Romeo tonight!" Elizabeth declared.

"I wanted to make it up to you. Besides, you deserve it, baby," Cosmo pressed his lips to Elizabeth's tenderly. Still kissing her, he took both of their glasses and set them down next to the candles and wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her lightly as the kiss grew deeper. 

"Honey," Elizabeth whispered into Cosmo's ear.

"Hmm?"

"This is the shirt you wore on our first date." She fiddled absentmindedly with the collar of his lavender shirt.

Cosmo broke away, looked down at his shirt and smiled. "So it is. How long ago was that?" She giggled deliciously as he pressed his lips back to hers. She wrapped her arms around his neck. The kisses were deep but tender as they fell to the floor. He ran his hands slowly down her sides, but once he felt her stomach, he broke away, a puzzled look on his face.

"Babe, you feel different."

Elizabeth's smile faded and she sat both of them up. "I'm pregnant."

A wide smile broke out on Cosmo's lips. He hugged her tightly. "Honey, that's great!"

"It's not yours."

Cosmo's smile faded. He stopped hugging her and looked at her, the confusion on his face growing deeper. "What?"

"It's not yours."

"What do you mean, it's not mine? What's not mine?"

"The baby."

"How...what...?"

"It's Roscoe's."

Cosmo buried his face in his hands. He lifted his head and looked at Elizabeth, a hurt look covering his face and eyes. "Elizabeth, I thought we were over this."

Elizabeth began to cry. "I'm sorry, Cosmo."

"SORRY?" Cosmo scrambled to his feet. "I marry you, I tell you I love you, I do this romantic thing for you and you go and pull this again, and you tell me you're SORRY?"

"He raped me," Elizabeth murmured.

"What?"

"He raped me!" she cried.

"And why should I believe that?"

Elizabeth stayed seated with a neutral expression. Slowly, keeping her tear-filled eyes on her husband, she lifted her dress over her head. She unsnapped her bra, revealing her breasts, which were heavily bruised. Clouds of yellow and black covered the swell. Cosmo put a hand over his mouth. He rushed to her side and laid her head against his neck and wrapped his arms around her body as they both cried.

"What the hell happened to you?"

"You've been ignoring me for a few weeks now," she sobbed harder. "I wanted some attention, and Roscoe was there. We went to a party at R.F.'s, and then it was like four in the morning and he said we had to leave. We got into his car and he forced himself on me, kissing me and stuff. I said no, that I was married to you, but he just kept doing it to me and I just kept saying no, and he got mad and assaulted me, and that's where...well..." She indicated her breasts.

"Elizabeth, when things like this happen, for Christ's sake, you need to open your mouth and say something! How long ago did this happen?"

"Two weeks ago."

"You've been pregnant for two weeks?"

Elizabeth hesitated. "Yes."

"And you didn't tell me."

"No."

"Wonderful."

"If you want me to get an abortion..."

It all happened so fast. Cosmo pushed her to the ground and pinned her arms to the carpet. Elizabeth looked into his face; that cold ice-blue gleam she couldn't find a word for was in his eyes. 

"Don''t you EVER say that word in front of me again," he spat evilly.

Elizabeth's face remained calm; she was used to his random outbursts of Irish. Hell, she had been dealing with them for the past three weeks. "You're willing to raise another man's child, Cosmo?"

Cosmo's face softened. His eyes grew wide as he released her arms and sat up on his knees. She sat up and stretched out on her arms. He brought her up to him so that their foreheads touched. He kissed it and said,

"Yes. Elizabeth, when I married you, I made you a promise. Let me keep that promise. I'm going to love that child like it's my own, which it will be. You and I are in this together, and we're going to have a family."

That night, they didn't sleep in their bed. They slept on the floor sitting up, forehead to forehead. The next morning, Don and Cosmo informed R.F. of Elizabeth's rape, and Roscoe was fired and arrested for life.

 

THE END! :)


	18. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 1934 - 7 years later

The ‘31 Model A Victoria pulled into the driveway at Lindacrest Drive. The driver scratched his thick, dark brown beard and goatee and then his hair, which used to be a bright, vibrant red, but now was as dark brown as his facial hair. Heavy black bags hung under his eyes, which used to be sapphire blue, but now were dull, droopy and bloodshot.

This was the toll that the Great Depression had taken on Cosmo Brown. He wasn’t a young man of twenty-six anymore, going to bars with Don in an attempt to pick up girls; at thirty-three years of age, he was a starving pianist at Monumental Pictures with five little mouths to feed. Philip, Donald (named after Cosmo’s best friend, Don Lockwood, because of a promise Cosmo had made to Don and Kathy to name one of his sons after Don and a daughter after Kathy), Isaac, Katherine (named after Kathy, who was now Don’s wife and a mother of two beautiful little children, a boy and a girl) and even one-year-old Wendy were growing rapidly, and he couldn’t keep up. He was barely making enough money to get by. His home was about to be foreclosed on, and even though she was far from it, he felt like Elizabeth was about to divorce him. 

Cosmo sighed when he heard the squeals of “Daddy’s home!” from the back door. Time to put on my mask again, he thought. That was the only thing that kept him sane; the fact that his children were happy in the midst of the country’s (and his) going to pot. He wondered if he was slightly sadistic for thinking that.

He got out of the car and immediately his children ran to him.

“Daddy!” Katherine and Isaac squealed, latching onto his arms. Katherine was five and the picture of her mother, with fair curly red hair and big brown eyes. Isaac was three and the most adorable thing in the world, with brown hair that stretched over his eyes; he needed a haircut, but he had his father’s blue eyes. 

“‘Lo, Dad,” the two older boys said in baritone unison. Philip, at eight, had never known his real father, but every time Cosmo looked at him, he saw Roscoe. Phil was tall, and getting taller every day, with dark, heavy eyebrows and dark hair and dark eyes. Donald, eight as well, though missing being older than his step-brother by just three days, was the picture of his father, with flamboyant red hair and bright blue eyes. Freckles covered his face. 

“Hi, boys. Hi, kids.” Cosmo hugged his children. A few minutes later, Elizabeth came outside, holding their youngest, Wendy. Being a mom had made Elizabeth grow fuller in her body, but also more weary. Cosmo saw the baby and his eyes lit up, just like they used to and he smiled as he took the baby into his arms and they all went inside.

Once inside, they ate the Chinese food that Elizabeth had ordered. After dinner, Cosmo sat at his desk in the sitting room, working on the symphony that had been looming over him like a dark cloud for seven years. 

“Dad?” Philip, working on his geography homework at the low table in the sitting room, called. “Stockholm is the capital of Sweden, right?”

“Yes, son,” Cosmo called back in a weary monotone.

“Daddy!” Katherine ran up to where her father sat, clutching a piece of paper. “Daddy, look what I drew for you! It’s a kite!”

“Not now, Kathy. Go show your mother.” Cosmo brushed the little girl aside. The smile faded from her face and she walked away slowly.

“Isaac Michael Brown, get your fingers AWAY from Wendy!” Elizabeth’s shrill voice echoed from the kitchen, but it was too late. A giggling Isaac stuck his finger into Wendy’s mouth. Wendy bit it and giggled hysterically in her high chair, while Isaac began to wail loudly. At that moment, Donald came rushing down the stairs, dressed in a cowboy uniform, and started charging after Kathy with a cap gun shouting, “BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG-BANG!”

Kathy fell to the ground. “Ow! Donnie! Daddy, make him stop! He’s hurting me!”

“Donald, stop hurting your sister,” Cosmo said without turning around. Elizabeth came into the sitting room, drenched in sweat and mopping her forehead with her apron.

“Cosmo, for the love of God, will you help me?”

“Help you with what?”

“Well, let’s see…the kitchen needs to be cleaned and the kids need to be put to bed” (this drew moans of “Aw, Mom!” from the boys).

“That’s just two things. You can do that yourself.”

Elizabeth grew stern. “Cosmo, I am at the end of my rope. I’m sick of not knowing where the next meal is going to come from every night.”

“So file for divorce, Elizabeth.”

“Cosmo, I would never do that in a million years, and you know that. I love you.”

Cosmo sighed.

“You know, your brother Peter makes more money than you do, at least a grand a year.”

“He’s a doctor. Of course he does.”

“For Christ’s sake, Cosmo! You go to work, you play piano for four hours and you bring home—at the MOST—fifty dollars a week. We can’t live off of fifty dollars a week, Cosmo!”

Cosmo banged his fist on the desk and stood up abruptly, bellowing, 

“JESUS CHRIST, ELIZABETH! I’M TRYING!”

The children (except Wendy) stopped what they were doing and looked at their father’s enraged face with wide, fearful eyes. That same unfathomable look was in his eyes again, his beard and goatee making the familiar look even colder to Elizabeth.

“In case you haven’t noticed, there’s a Goddamned depression on! They’re selling Goddamned apples on Sunset Boulevard, Elizabeth! And here you are, complaining that I can’t bring home more than fifty bucks a week. I suppose it wouldn’t help if you got a job, huh?”

Elizabeth stared at her husband with cold, defiant brown eyes.

“Children, go to bed. Your father and I need to have a discussion. We’ll be up to tuck you in when we’re done.”

The kids looked at each other and trudged upstairs. Isaac waddled into the sitting room rubbing his eyes, his crying episode now finished.

“Isaac, get to bed, honey,” Elizabeth cooed, giving her son a kiss on the head.

“Okay,” Isaac replied tiredly. “Night, Mommy.”

“Good night, sweetheart.”

“Night, Daddy.”

“Night, kiddo.”

“Mommy, may I please have some milk?”

“Get it yourself, honey. You know where your cup is.”

“Okay.”

They watched Isaac pour himself some milk and go upstairs, drinking it.

“Don’t choke or fall, Isaac Michael…” Elizabeth warned.

“I won’t.” 

The couple watched their son go upstairs and out of sight. Elizabeth’s eyes turned back to Cosmo.

“That was really nice of you to swear in front of the children, Cosmo.”

“Oh yeah, that’s..that’s really mature, Elizabeth. You…you just HAVE to chew out my ass for every little thing I do, huh?”

“Well, they’re children, Cosmo! They don’t need to be hearing those words!”

“Yeah? I don’t need to be hearing those words either, but I still say them.”

“Why?”

“Because it makes me feel better! Okay, Elizabeth? Happy now? It makes me feel better.”

A pause, then Cosmo started again.

“Look, Elizabeth, if you’re gonna get on my ass about how I treat my kids, save it, because I am a DAMN good father…”

“Are you kidding me, Cosmo?” the look on Elizabeth’s face was one of pure outrage. “you hit your three-year-old in the face with a baseball and you think you’re a good father?”

“It was an accident! We were playing catch and the ball hit the kid, so what?”

“So, you shouldn’t have been playing catch in the first place! Catch is too dangerous a game for a three-year-old to be playing.”

“Would you rather him be shooting his sisters?”

“You bought Donald James that gun and you know it, Cosmo Liam Brown!”

“He’s eight years old,” Cosmo said calmly.

“He’s a CHILD, Cosmo!”

“He’s old enough to know better. And how the hell did this conversation turn from a conversation about how I don’t bring home enough dough to parenting?”

Elizabeth moved over to the loveseat and sat down in a trance. 

“We’re drifting,” she decided.

“What?”

“We’re drifting, Cosmo.”

Cosmo rushed over to the loveseat and sat next to her. ”Come on, now, what do you mean we’re drifting?”

“Just what I said. We’re drifting.” Elizabeth began to sob loudly. “We’re drifting, Cosmo! We’re a terrible couple, we’re terrible parents and the kids hate us!”

“Oh, honeybun, the kids don’t hate us. They love us! Hey, come on…” Cosmo leaned in slowly and planted a soft kiss on a tear that was rolling down Elizabeth’s cheek. He wiped it away with his thumb as she turned to look at him. 

“Listen to me, Elizabeth. We’re not drifting, all right? Sometimes it may seem like we are, but we’re not. Listen, times are hard for everyone right now. Even Don is having a hard time finding a picture to get into. It’ll all be over soon, I promise.”

“You mean we’re all gonna die?” Elizabeth sniffed.

“Yeah, Donnie,” Cosmo said sarcastically, rolling his eyes. “no, I meant the Depression will be over, and everything will be back to normal. R.F. just doesn’t have the money to pay everybody right now. Once the Depression’s over, he will. Come on, honey. You have to trust me.”

He turned her face to his and kissed her with the kisses that she had long since forgotten. His tongue probed hers and his beard tickled her. Elizabeth broke the kiss and giggled.

“I think it’s time for me to shave you again,” she giggled, stroking his beard with her nails.

Cosmo let out a low chuckle and picked her up in his strong arms, and the couple made their way upstairs to their bedroom.


End file.
